Still Ticking
by RissyWrites
Summary: If a clock could count down until the moment you met your soulmate, would you want to know? AU
1. Chapter 1: Counting

Chapter One

_34 days, 1 hour, 52 minutes and 13 seconds._

Every time she looked at the number her heart skipped. Only 34 more days. 34 days and she would meet him. So many questions rushed through her mind, who would it be? Would he be younger or older? Tall or short? Brown eyes or blue?

She'd seen peoples' clocks break, leaving them devastated. Instead of a soulmate they received therapy and condolences. How would she handle that? It was tragic, everyone has someone and suddenly you're left. All alone.

That was the case of her best friend, Emily. She was what we called a "fast track," her countdown had started much lower than the rest of us. She was thirteen when it happened. She never knew exactly who she had lost, but many speculated it to be a girl named Alison who had been murdered one town over.

Emily took it hard, she locked herself up for weeks. She'd had one day left on her clock when her other half was so brutally taken from her. Her friends tried to comfort her, but it was of no use. How do you come back from that? It's been a few years and she's still had trouble dealing. She'd been attending a club of sorts where other people who'd lost their soulmate gathered. It seemed to be helping.

Hanna's clock still had a long way to go. She grumbled about how lucky the other girls were. Spencer always reminded her that patience is a virtue and she would simply roll her eyes. She'd make comments about being an old hag by the time she met them. They reassured her by reminding her that 26 really isn't that old.

To warm her lonely heart she had flings with people who were waiting themselves. This week's guy was Sean, she thought? He joined them for lunch and Hanna peppered him with kisses. He seemed uncomfortable, he believed in waiting and she had no idea how Hanna had gotten him to date her in the first place. He was in the TLW (True Love Waits) Club, for goodness sake.

Spencer was lucky. Her clock stopped at 16 when she met the beautiful blue eyed Toby. Their first encounter wasn't so great. She had heard about him and he teases her relentlessly about her first words to him._ "What the hell? This is what I've been waiting for?" _She quickly got over her preconceived notions about him, though. They really were perfect for each other.

Spencer was uptight and intense. He was laid back and gentle. He kept her grounded and everyone drooled over them, dubbing them, "_the_ couple." She couldn't be happier for the two. Emily even found solace through Spencer and Toby. They had both been two of her best friends before they even met and seeing them happy really made her happy. It made her believe in love and even if she couldn't have a happy ending, she was glad that they could.

Meanwhile she waited anxiously for her time to run up. She was lost in thought when Hanna grabbed her attention at the lunch table by tossing a piece of celery at her face.

"Did you even hear me, Aria?" Hanna asked expectantly.

She shook her head and looked at her apologetically.

"I said... There is a gorgeous new teacher, he's 24 and his clock is still ticking. Every girl in class was upset that she wasn't his other half," Hanna said dramatically, sighing as she pictured the new teacher.

Aria laughed at her, she was always one for drama. She had to admit, her curiosity was piqued. A young English teacher, that sounded promising. Sadly, she was in Mrs. Grunwald's English class, the old lady gave her the creeps.

"I bet you're jelly," Hanna taunted and Aria stuck her tongue out at her.

"Girls," Spencer warned playfully, "Don't tease Aria, it's not her fault she's stuck with Mrs. Creepy."

The four girls, plus Toby and Sean, laughed and they continue their lunch. Aria looked back down at the small metallic tab on her wrist.

_34 days, 0 hours, 59 minutes and 22 seconds._

Later that evening Aria flopped onto her bed. She couldn't quiet the butterflies in her stomach. She was dying of curiosity and couldn't believe that her whole world would change in a little over a month. She'd heard some girls talking in the bathroom earlier that day about a website where you enter your time and it searches for others near you.

She typed into her search bar and waited for the results to load. _Find Your Match, NOW! _She clicked on the link and nervously typed in her first name and the time left on her wrist.

Two names popped up. There was an Ezra and a Gertrude. Scrunching her nose up she decided to click on Ezra's profile.

He was in his early 20s and "only on this site because his best friend Hardy was tired of hearing his crap."

She giggled at that. Her heart raced as she clicked on the chat button and typed out a quick message.

_Aria: Hey, it looks like we could be a match. I don't know why I'm doing this.. Curiosity, I guess. I'm freaking out, if we're being honest. One month and I'll meet my soulmate. I've been counting down the minutes. How are you feeling? Could you possibly be as anxious as I am? Still ticking away. _

_I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. We've never met or talked before. It's easier to talk to strangers, I suppose. So, if you happen to read this, send me a message or don't. Do whatever you want. I could either talk to you or Gertrude and I don't think she's my soulmate, but you never know. Haha ;) Goodbye, Ezra._

* * *

_33 days, 22 hours, 16 minutes and 39 seconds._

He was looking at his clock when his computer pinged, alerting him of a message. He opened it up, it was the dumb singles website that Hardy had signed him up for. He hadn't looked at that in months, honestly he thought it was stupid. You should just be patient and wait to come across your soulmate when the time is right.

He read the alert. Aria, that's a beautiful name. The only other person who had popped up for him was an old lady named Gertrude. He read her message and laughed, seemed she had seen the older woman as well. Something about her drew him in and although he doubted she was the one, he wouldn't mind talking to her. He read over her message again and decided to respond.

_Ezra: Aria, first of all, that's a beautiful name. Talking to strangers is easier. While we're being honest, I'm petrified but also really excited. I, too, have been counting. Won't be long, now. It's hard to picture, someone crashing into your life so suddenly._

_But, I hate to break it to you... I am already deeply in love with Gertrude, I visit her in the nursing home on a regular basis. ;P_

_I'll be waiting for your reply..._

He nervously sent the message and decided to hop up and stretch his limbs. He paced the room nervously. He had just started a teaching job and as if that wasn't enough pressure, he had one month left. Hardy teased him about taking it so seriously. He didn't get the big deal and while he was free he was making, what he thought to be, the best use of his time. Partying and sleeping around. He tried to bring Ezra along as his wingman but he just wasn't feeling it.

Hardy had about 2,000 days left on his clock and he was reveling in the freedom. Ezra teased that when he met the girl that she'd be disgusted and decide to die alone, cursing the gods for their choice in men.

He heard his laptop chime again and immediately rushed over.

_Aria: Good for Gertrude, everyone needs love. ;)_

_Ezra: I agree... So, tell me about yourself._

He braced himself, hoping that he didn't sound too forward.

_Aria: What do you want to know?_

_Ezra: Hmmm... Interests?_

_Aria: Reading and writing. Don't laugh. :P_

Suddenly he was intrigued by this girl, she almost seemed like a female version of himself. Wait, that didn't sound right.

_Ezra: I would never laugh! I'm actually an English teacher. What do you write about?_

_Aria: It's mostly personal, just for me. Where do you teach?_

He panicked for a moment. He couldn't tell her that, could he? He'd been talking to her for about 5 minutes.

_Ezra: Must be pure passion, then. Are we allowed to share that kind of info? I'm leaning towards no, I wouldn't want to give away my top secret identity. ;)_

_Aria: Ohhh, so mysterious._

_Ezra: I like to keep people on their toes._

_Aria: I'm sure... I actually need to go to bed. It's very late where I am and I have an early morning. Will we talk soon?_

Disappointment flooded through his body, did she really have to go so soon? He looked over at the time on the wall, 1:26am. It was late for him, too, and he needed to teach a class in the morning.

_Ezra: I'd like that. Tomorrow night?_

_Aria: Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, Ezra. :)_

_Ezra: Goodnight, Aria._

He couldn't help but feel giddy, which was ridiculous. He had a strong aversion to online dating and kept telling himself that Aria was probably a 40 year old man with a beer belly. Although he doubted it, she seemed sincere. All he knew was that he couldn't wait to get to know her better.

* * *

**So, here's my new story! I hope y'all aren't too confused. I'm really excited about this storyline and I hope you are too! So, review and let me know what you think.**

**All my love,  
-RissyWrites**


	2. Chapter 2: The Worst Thing

Chapter Two

_32 days, 1 hour, 24 minutes and 56 seconds._

Aria walked to their usual lunch table with an added spring in her step. She greeted all with a huge smile, "Isn't it a beautiful day?"

Ever since she first spoke with Ezra she had been extremely giddy. Last night they chatted for hours and learned more about each other. Turns out that they are both die hard romantics, so they compared their soul-mate "wish lists."

She hates to admit the fact that it's very unlikely that he could be the one. Still, it's nice talking to someone who understands her. They share the same fascination with literature and it seemed that they could talk about that for ages.

An anxious feeling bubbles up in her stomach as she thinks about her clock. She always worries that she won't like him or, even worse, that she'll lose him, like Emily did. It was times when she thought about it, really thought about it, that she would feel nervous. She shook those thoughts from her head and smiled as she remembered Ezra.

"What's got you so smiley?" Hanna asked bluntly. Sean was no longer by her side, Spencer had told her that they broke up. Hanna was upset, but moved on pretty quickly. She now sat beside Travis, a sweet guy with a southern accent.

"Why not? So, are you going to introduce me?" She asked expectantly, raising her eyes at her blonde friend.

Hanna's eyes lit up, "Oh, right! That was rude of me. Sorry! Aria, this is Travis. Travis, Aria."

"Nice to meet you," he said with a small smile.

"Same here," Aria replied and took in the guy. He was different from the guys that Hanna would usually go after. They tended to be horny jocks, aside from Sean, of course. Travis seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

She was taken from her thoughts as Spencer snapped a finger in front of her, "Hanna's right. You're unusually chirpy, spill."

Hanna spoke up before Aria could reply, "Let the record play that Spencer thinks I'm right!"

"It's 'let the record show,' Han, not play," Spencer corrected softly, doing her best not to laugh. Hanna wasn't the brightest, but everyone loved her, regardless.

"Why would a record show? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Anyway, Aria?"

Aria looked up from her lunch to see all at the table staring at her. She swallowed the bite in her mouth and nervously played with her fork.

What would she tell her friends?_ "Hey! I met a guy online and it's greatly improved my mood." _She was sure that that wouldn't go over well.

She could see it now, Spencer would immediately jump down her throat about the dangers of talking to strangers online. Hanna would ask if they've traded naked pictures yet. And Emily, Emily would stay quiet as to avoid taking sides.

"I, um," she began hesitantly, "I just met someone, that's all."

"Ooohh," Hanna swooned, "Met someone?"

She laughed as Hanna wiggled her eyebrows at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Yeah, it's no big deal. We just share interests, he's nice to talk to," Aria faded out, hoping desperately for her friends to change the subject. She wasn't ready to share this yet, it seemed too...sacred. She liked it being something special. Just her and Ezra.

"Well, you aren't the only one in a good mood, maybe it's something in the air. Mr. Fitz skipped into class this morning," Spencer remarked and Hanna nodded in agreement.

"Damn, he's hot," Hanna sighed. Her friends eyes widened and Travis cleared his throat, "Just stating facts."

Hanna leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek and Aria chuckled. Typical Hanna. She smiled as she imagined Ezra in his classroom, was he happier because of her?

As lunch finished she got up and made her way to the library for her free period. She sat huddled over her books when she saw the back of younger looking man. His hair was curly and he was wearing a vest. He must be the new teacher, she thought. She didn't even see his face and he was gone in seconds, but she could already understand why everyone thought he was so attractive.

_31 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes and 3 seconds._

* * *

Ezra walked through the hallways of his school and tried his best to wipe the stupid smile off of his face. He needed to appear as a serious authoritative figure, not a goofy freshman.

He couldn't stop thinking about Aria. She perplexed him in all of the right ways. She was so much more than he expected her to be. She was intelligent and witty. He hadn't know her long, but he could tell that she was an old soul. She was the kind of person you could so easily get lost in.

His eyes lifted from where they were trained on his desk and he watched as students began to enter his room. He felt uncomfortable under the stares of the young girls who played dumb to get his attention. That was something that he appreciated about Aria, she didn't dumb herself down. She was an intellectual woman and was obviously proud of that.

Class went by slowly and he thanked god when the bell rang. He saw the side of a student's face as she rushed by and couldn't help but notice her beauty. He slapped himself for that. _Totally inappropriate, Ezra._

Aria ran out of the school and cursed to herself when she realized that she'd missed her ride. Her younger brother, Mike, couldn't seem to wait 5 minutes. She sighed and realized that she'd need to walk home.

She was walking when she heard footsteps behind her. Heavy footsteps. She tried her best to stop herself from panicking, damn her overreactive and very paranoid imagination.

"If it isn't Aria Montgomery... How are you doing today, sunshine?"

She rolled her eyes at the voice behind her. It was none other than Noel Kahn. The douche bag who hit on her relentlessly.

"I'm fine, Noel," she replied bitterly, not even taking the energy to turn and look at him.

"So, when are you actually going to go out with me?" He asked as he did his best to keep up with her quick strides.

"Never. Would you please leave me alone?" She asked, annoyed by his persistence. He had been going after her since they were 12. Over the last year he had gone from a scrawny, goofy guy to an extremely built man. He had also gotten cockier and more pushy. Honestly, he made Aria really uncomfortable.

"Not until you say yes," he replied gruffly as he took ahold of her arm.

She looked down at where his hand was clasped around her pale skin and looked up, she tried her best to conceal her fear. She spoke through gritted teeth, "Let go of me."

He only squeezed tighter and she yelped in pain, terror taking over her body. She looked around and tried to yell for help, but nobody heard her. The streets were empty and he immediately quieted her yelps with his hand. She did the first thing she could think of and bit down, hard.

Noel yelled and shook his hand, "You bitch."

He pulled her back to him and squeezed her sides, whispering heatedly in her ear, "One more sound and I'll let you have it."

She squirmed for a moment but immediately stopped as she felt cool metal grace her skin. He had a knife. This was it. She always thought he was a creep, but never did she think he would take it this far. This was the kind of thing that girls never thought would happen to them. Sure, they heard of other poor and innocent girls being attacked and violated, but never did you think you'd be put in their shoes.

Aria gave up fighting and slowly felt her mind fading. She was sick to her stomach and couldn't think straight. She was in shock, that much she knew. The next time that she opened her eyes, she was lying on the ground and heard him whisper in her ear one last time, "If you tell anyone, I will kill you. Don't forget that, Montgomery."

His breath gave her the chills and she couldn't shake the icy feeling that came with his evil chuckle as he walked away. For the first time, she noticed the tears pouring down her face. Her whole body was sore and she was terrified. She felt weak, vulnerable and worthless. She slowly and painfully pulled herself up, choking out a sob. As she looked at her torn clothes and bloodied arms she felt the urge to hurl and she did.

She looked at her clock sadly.

_31 days, 20 hours, 5 minutes and 21 seconds._

* * *

Ezra felt a pang in his chest. Something was wrong. He didn't know what it was, but something was terribly wrong. He had the urge to check on Aria and make sure she was okay.

He pulled out his laptop and logged on.

_Ezra: Aria, how are you?_

He waited and waited. He impatiently tapped his foot and busied himself with marking papers. Before he knew it, hours had passed and still no response. He tried to reassure himself that she was fine and probably busy. She, unlike him, probably had a social life.

* * *

Aria slowly made her way into her house, careful not to make a sound. She checked that the coast was clear and ran to her bathroom. She stayed in the shower for well over an hour, trying to rub the filth off of her body. As hard as she tried, she knew that she would never feel clean again. She felt dirty and used. She threw a huge t-shirt on and a pair of leggings before crawling into bed.

She looked over and saw the notification, seeing the message from Ezra was enough to throw her back into a hysterical fit of sobs. She breathed deeply, clutching her stomach. She wanted the pain to stop. How your life could flip upside down so easily puzzled her, nothing would ever be the same.

She gathered all of her strength to respond to Ezra, she didn't want to leave him hanging. Although, what would she tell him? She couldn't tell him what happened, could she?

_Aria: Not good._

Ezra's heart leaped when he heard his computer, crumbling as soon as he read her response. He was worried, he knew that something was wrong.

_Ezra: Want to talk?_

Minutes passed and he stared blankly at his computer. His mind jumped into overdrive and he quickly came to all of the worst conclusions.

_Aria: I'm afraid to._

_Ezra: Aria, what's wrong? You can talk to me._

_Aria: I don't even know you._

_Ezra: That's all the more reason._

It was then that she realized that he may be the one person she could tell. She needed to get it out and Noel couldn't hurt her if she told Ezra, a man she didn't even know.

He watched as the messenger showed that she was typing. She would type and then delete it, as if she couldn't find the right words. This happened several times until he finally got her message and when he did, he wished that he hadn't. His stomach plummeted and his face went pale. She didn't deserve this, no one did.

_Aria: I was raped._

He was going to kill the bastard with his bare hands.

* * *

**I hope you all don't hate me. I wanted to broach a more serious topic. Rape is something that so many women have suffered and the painful consequences should be brought to light. Please be careful and think before you end up in a vulnerable circumstance. Enough of my rambling...**

**Thank you for your reviews, your initial response to this story was fantastic. Y'all are the best! Also, guess who graduated last weekend? This girl! Whoot whoot!**

**Love you all,  
-RissyWrites**


	3. Chapter 3: Reflections

Chapter Three

_31 days, 4 hours, 36 minutes and 2 seconds._

Aria curled into her pillow and sighed as her alarm blared at her for the billionth time. She didn't want to go to school. She didn't want to go anywhere where _he_ could be. She was scared to death, the thought alone made her tremble.

Ezra had done his best to comfort her and tried desperately to convince her to go to the police. She refused, stating that it wasn't safe. She was grateful for Ezra, though. He gave her hope. She felt worthless and he gave her at least an ounce of self-value. Why couldn't all men be like him? Caring and kind, instead of harsh and abusive.

Her body shook as she thought about the day prior. It seemed like a nightmare, like it couldn't have been real. She wished that it had all been something that she had dreamed up in her head, but she knew it wasn't. How do you get over that? She was sure that she needed therapy, but that was impossible when she couldn't tell a soul what had happened. Ezra was as close as it would get. How was she to know that it wouldn't happen again?

It was senseless not to go to the police, that she knew. But she couldn't yet, she just couldn't. She was so afraid that she wouldn't be able to handle the repercussions. She would be looked at with pity, as the poor girl who was raped. The poor girl who couldn't stand up for herself. The words rung through her ears and she screamed in her pillow. She felt like she was going crazy.

Her mother knocked on her door and asked if she was ready for school. Aria covered her mouth, holding back the sob that was attempting to escape her throat.

She croaked out that she didn't feel well, causing her mother to come in the room. When Ella spotted her, she knew that something wasn't right. Aria's eyes were swollen from crying and she looked so broken. Ella pulled her into her arms and petted her head. She didn't know what was wrong, but she knew that Aria would talk to her eventually. For now she only held her before making her breakfast and calling the school.

Texts began flooding Aria's cell phone as her friends realized that she missed school. Spencer was worried about her academics, Hanna was jealous that she got to play hooky, and Emily was concerned, asking if she was sick.

She sent them a group message, claiming that she just didn't feel well and she would try to go to school the next day. Part of her felt like she needed to tell her friends, but she couldn't. She couldn't and it was killing her.

* * *

_30 days, 23 hours, 58 minutes and 19 seconds._

Ezra sat in his classroom grading papers. He tried his hardest to focus on the words in front of him but he couldn't. His mind kept traveling back to Aria. He needed to help her. He needed to protect her, be he didn't know how to. He wanted her to feel wanted and loved.

When they'd talked the night before she had said that her soulmate would be so disappointed when they realized that they got damaged goods. God, she was wrong. So wrong. She wasn't damaged, she was hurt. Her even being able to pull herself out of that alley showed how strong she was. Any person would be so incredibly lucky to have her.

Timing was an amazing thing. To think that fate had it in her cards that only a month after this tragic event, she would meet her soulmate. Hopefully, they would be able to bind up her wounds in a way that Ezra couldn't. They would make her feel safe and protected. They would show her what genuine, unconditional love is.

When he thought about it, he was angry. Livid, actually. The fact that someone could do something so cruel sickened him. If he could go out and kill the guy, he would. No doubt in his mind, he would make him pay. But, he felt helpless. He wanted to do something, take action, but he couldn't.

He was pulled from his thoughts as his eighth period class shuffled into the room. He held back an irritated sigh as he saw Noel Kahn enter the room. The guy had always bugged him and he couldn't quite shake the bad feeling that he got from him. He glared as he noticed him smack a girl's butt, what a pig.

"Mr. Kahn, inappropriate. I won't tolerate any of that in my class, if it happens again I will have to take disciplinary action. Are we clear?" He reprimanded, trying to keep his voice calm and professional.

"Crystal," Noel responded, that annoying smirk on his face. Ezra did his best to control his ever growing temper. He ignored him, proceeding to teach his class about haikus and semi-colons.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Aria was awoken by her best friend.

Her raspy voice filled the air, loud enough so that Aria would be able to hear her over the depressing music blasting through the room. "I brought your homework."

Aria turned the volume down and looked at the tall brunette, smiling slightly and muttering a thank you.

Spencer sat at the edge of her bed and looked her up and down. Aria recoiled under her stare. Of course, she would know that something was off. Looking at the dark circles under her eyes, red nose and baggy clothes, it would appear that she had a cold. But, Spencer knew her better than that, they were closer than sisters.

"Want to talk about whatever is going on?" Spencer asked softly, her usual intense exterior put aside.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aria answered nonchalantly, picking at the imaginary dirt under her finger nails.

Spencer rolled her eyes, "Don't lie to me, Aria Montgomery. I know you better than I know myself. You don't have to tell me right now, but I'm here for you. You know that."

That was all it took for Aria to launch herself into her friend's arms. She clung onto her, grasping onto her as if her life depended on it. Spencer quieted her cries and calmed her gently. Spencer's heart broke as she felt Aria's body shake, cries escaping from her lips. What had happened that would crush her friend, so completely? She'd never seen Aria like this, she was always the positive one. She always held Spencer while she had yet another breakdown whilst striving to live up to her parents' expectations. This was a complete reversal of circumstances.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but it will be okay. I promise you," Spencer assured her, smoothing down the hairs stuck to her face and wiping away her tears.

"What if it's not?" Aria asked quietly, minutes later.

Spencer looked down at her tiny friend, "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

Spencer had no idea how deeply those words affected Aria. She thought about them for the days to come. Everything would be okay in the end, she had to believe that.

* * *

**Chapter Three, yay! Will Aria go to the cops soon? What did you think of this chapter? Team Sparia! ;)**

**Thank you all so much for your reviews. The response to this story has been phenomenal!**

**Oodles of love,**

**-RissyWrites**


	4. Chapter 4: Value

Chapter Four

_24 days, 5 hours, 14 minutes and 58 seconds._

Comfort comes in all shapes and forms. Itcould be a song, a long drive in the rain, a caring touch, a listening ear... The list goes on and on. For Aria, her comfort came in a small chat window. A jumble of letters brought her solace in what, she was sure, was the lowest point in her life.

_Ezra: Promise me that you'll think about it._

She sighed as she read his message for the tenth time. She had thought about it. She thought about it every minute. It was the wise thing to do. He was right, of course. It had been a week and she hadn't left the confines of her bedroom, it was time that she told someone other than Ezra. Her mother was extremely concerned and begged Aria to tell her what was going on.

_Ezra: Aria, please. I'm worried._

His concern warm her now cold heart. She'd become rather bitter, but Ezra was the light at the end of her tunnel. She debated for several moments how to respond. She knew that this was bothering him. He had wanted her to go to the cops since day one. He wanted her to be safe and he wanted justice.

_Aria: Okay._

When Ezra read the message he was surprised, she was going to get help. She would be safe. He breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand through his messy curls.

_Ezra: Okay?_

Aria smiled at that, she could practically hear the disbelief in his voice, or what she imagined his voice sounded like.

_Aria: Yes, I'll talk to my mom, today. This needs to end. I can't spend the rest of my life, in my bedroom, terrified of Noel Kahn._

She pressed send before she even realized what she had done. This couldn't be good.

On the other end, Ezra was shocked. It could just be a coincidence, right? There was more than one Noel Kahn, surely it wasn't the boy in his class. As much as he tried to talk himself out of it, he knew that this couldn't be a coincidence. He seethed in anger and forcefully punched the navy wall in his apartment. He was stronger than he expected because he knocked a hole into the wall. He cursed to himself and clenched his now aching fist.

As he thought about it, he realized something else. Aria was closer than he realized, maybe even in Rosewood. Maybe she was the one. He'd tried to convince himself that she probably wasn't and that he would still be happy, but deep down he was praying that it was Aria. He'd grown extremely attached to the girl. He had to ask her, he had to know.

_Ezra: Are you in Rosewood?_

Aria's heart leapt at the question. How did he know? Had he googled Noel? Was he in Rosewood? If he was, the chances of him being her soulmate had just skyrocketed. She began typing hesitantly, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Just as she was about to press send, her bedroom door opened and in came her mother. Aria discreetly closed her laptop and looked to the middle aged woman.

"How are you doing, today? Feeling any better?" She asked kindly, placing a hand on Aria's forehead. Aria had claimed that she had the flu and the stress fever had helped smooth over the lie. But now, now was the time of truth.

A knot formed in Aria's stomach and she wrung her hands together, trying to find the right words, "I need to tell you something."

Ella sensed her daughter's distress and gently steadied her hands, "You can tell me anything."

"Last week, I was–um," she paused, taking a deep breathe as her voice cracked, "I was on my way home and N-Noel K-K-Khan, he..." Her voice was shaky, barely above a whisper. Ella gave her a look that encouraged her to continue. She took one more breathe and spit it out, "He hurt me, mommy."

Ella's eyes watered and she asked her question slowly and articulately, "Did he rape you?"

Aria couldn't meet her mother's eyes, she quickly nodded her head as she stared at her lap.

"Oh, god," her mother cried, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"He said that he'd hurt me again. It was stupid, I know. I'm just so scared," she responded shakily, crumbling more each second.

Ella pulled her into her arms, crying into her daughter's hair, "I'm so sorry. I'm supposed to protect you. I'm so, so sorry that I let you down."

"You didn't, mom. This isn't your fault," Aria reassured her. The two just sat together and cried while Ella tried her best to comfort her daughter. She got up about an hour later and decided that she would call the police and then she would call her ex husband. It was going to be a painful afternoon.

* * *

_24 days, 3 hours, 13 minutes and 55 seconds._

Ezra had waited over an hour for Aria's response. He was anxious and couldn't handle it any longer. He honestly lost control of his body as he wandered out of his apartment. He didn't even know where he was going. He was just driving. His knuckles turned white as he took out his anger on his steering wheel, trying his best to avoid a collision.

And that was when he saw him. _Noel, freaking, Kahn_. He pulled his car over and slammed the door. He was fuming and he was pretty sure that there was steam coming out of his ears.

"Mr. Fitz, what a nice surprise. Come here often?" Noel asked chirpily.

Ezra huffed and shook his head in disgust, "You are an excuse for a human being."

Noel held a hand to his chest and scoffed, "Ouch! That hurt, Mr. Fitz."

His nonchalant demeanor really peeved Ezra off. He clenched his fist at his side and was just about to punch him square across the jaw when he heard sirens. Police surrounded them moments later, placing Noel in handcuffs.

In a moment of bad judgement and uncontrolled anger, Ezra let his fist fly. Blood spewed out of Noel's mouth and he looked at his English teacher in shock.

"What the hell, man?" He yelled out, cursing at the pain that the movement of his mouth evoked.

Ezra didn't look at him or bother to respond as an officer held him back and berated him for his actions. Ezra didn't care nor did he regret it. He vaguely heard Noel's yells as he was pushed into the back of a police car. That must be why Aria hadn't written back, she had told the police. He hardly even noticed as the handcuffs locked his arms in place and he was hauled off, similar to Noel. He only had one thing on his mind: Aria.

* * *

"I need to talk to my friends," Aria whispered to her mother and father, her voice hoarse and quiet from all of her crying.

Ella kissed her forehead before telling her that she could invite them over. They needed all the moral support that they could get. Byron, her father, nodded in agreement before walking down to the living room. He yelled at Ella, asking her how this could've happened. She was tired of the guilt trip and claimed that if he was home, maybe this wouldn't have happened. The yelling did Aria no good, this was one of the reasons she hadn't wanted to tell anyone. Her parent's yelling matches were out of control and Aria was sick of it.

20 minutes later, her best friends were huddled in her bedroom with concerned looks on their faces. She was thankful for the distraction from her parents' relationship problems. The girls knew that something wasn't right and between the screaming and Aria's tear stained face, their suspicion was confirmed.

Hanna wrapped her arms around her small friend and held her for a moment, waiting until she seemed ready to talk.

"I haven't been totally honest with you guys," Aria admitted quietly. Nerves tingled in her stomach, this would never get easier. Spencer grasped her hand and nodded for her to go on.

"About a week ago, I was raped by Noel Kahn," she said quickly, so quickly that she wasn't sure her best friends had heard. But the mixture of fear and anger on their faces confirmed that they had.

Emily looked at her friend, her eyes full of pain, "I am _so_ sorry."

All of the girls were quiet for awhile, the only sound in the room being their sniffles.

"You poor thing," Hanna finally said, nuzzling her head into Aria's shoulder.

Aria's head shot up and she shook her head, "No. I don't want pity from you guys. I'll have enough of that at school."

"You're strong and we know that, don't ever think we don't. But we'll be there for you, every step of the way," Spencer said genuinely, squeezing Aria's hand tighter.

"I know that I can count on you," She choked out, doing her best not to cry again. She was so tired of that. She was beyond grateful for her friends. Not many people had friends as caring and loyal as hers, they'd been through thick and thin. She knew that she could always rely on them and that meant more to her than she could ever put into words.

* * *

_24 days, 1 hour, 30 minutes and 47 seconds._

Ezra exited the police station and breathed a sigh of relief. After waiting over an hour and being reprimanded over his violent outburst, he was let go with a warning. He realized that it reflected badly on him as a teacher, but he couldn't help but feel like it was deserved. He was never a violent or angry person, he was actually quite the opposite. But, knowing what that sick bastard did to Aria burned a fire in him that he'd never felt before.

He opened his apartment door and flopped on his couch. Exhausted from the day's events. It felt like one of the longest days of his life and he was ready for it to be over. He suddenly remembered his unfinished conversation with Aria and sat up to check if she'd ever responded.

_Aria: Yes. Are you?_

Ezra jumped up and pumped his fist in the air. He felt like a teenage boy who'd just gotten a date for prom, Aria had that effect on him.

_Ezra: Yes... Can you believe it?_

No, she couldn't. Aria read his message over and over to make sure she wasn't seeing things. He was here. In Rosewood.

_Aria: Not really, I guess we'll know in about... 24 days._

Only 24 more days, the thought alone made him giddy. He debated with himself over whether to say what he was about to, but he couldn't find it in him to resist.

_Ezra: 24 days... Wow. Aria?_

_Aria: Hmm?_

_Ezra: I hope it's you._

She hoped it was him, too. She really did. But she couldn't understand why he would ever want her. She would just be baggage.

_Aria: Why? I'm damaged. I'm not worth it, Ezra. I'd bring you nothing but pain._

Seeing how she felt about herself hurt him. How could someone so magnificently beautiful think so lowly of herself? Her view was so distorted, so extremely twisted. No one could ever be harmed by having her in their life, that he knew.

_Ezra: That's where you're wrong. You aren't damaged, you're strong and brave. You were hurt. But never doubt how valuable you are. You are the bravest person I know. You could've completely given up on life, but you didn't. You have kept fighting. I'm proud of you. Even if we aren't meant to be, I am grateful to know you, Aria._

Aria was able to go to sleep that night with a calm heart for the first time in days. Ezra gave her hope, hope that someone would think that she was worth loving.

* * *

**What did you think?**

**Thank you all, again! Your support is amazing. Please continue with your reviews, they make my bad days a whole lot better. :)**

**Much love,  
-RissyWrites**


	5. Chapter 5: Beginnings and Goodnights

Chapter Five

_21 days, 6 hours, 38 minutes and 4 seconds._

She stood before the high school. Heart racing. Palms sweating. She could already hear the hushed whispers, the news had traveled like wild fire. It didn't surprise her, the town was full of gossips. She wished that people would mind their own business. Some people looked at her pitifully. She heard some girls snickering, claiming that they didn't understand why she wouldn't sleep with Noel willingly and that she had to be lying.

She pulled uncomfortably at the hem of her oversized sweater. She was drowning in fabric, trying her best to hide from prying eyes. It was sad, she felt as if she had lost her sense of style or her desire to dress up. No more quirky outfits for her. She wanted to be invisible. Noel had stolen more than her virginity. He had stolen the person she was. She'd gone from being confident and bubbly to quiet and introverted.

She took a shaky breath and just as she was about to take a step closer to the brick building she felt someone take her arm. She nearly had a panic attack, she was still on edge. She was relieved to find Hanna smiling warmly at her. Moments later, Spencer took her other arm and Emily stood next to Spencer. She was grateful that she didn't have to do this alone.

"You ready?" Spencer asked kindly and Aria nodded in affirmation.

"Just like ripping off a bandaid," she muttered to herself, holding on tighter to her best friends as they walked into the school. People paused the second they saw her, looking at her like she was some sort of freak show. She recoiled under their gaze and put her head down, relying solely on her friends to guide her.

She heard Hanna call out a flirty, "Hey, Mr. Fitz!" But she didn't bother to look up.

Ezra did a double take as he passed Hanna, she was blatantly interested in him and he usually ignored her as best he could. But this time was different. He had heard the rumors around school about one of the students being raped. He had yet to hear her name but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was Aria. It could be a coincidence, but even he knew that coincidences were extremely rare in the world they lived in. He never would've guessed that she was a high school student, she was always so mature. If she turned out to be a student at the school he taught at... Hell, that would be tricky.

That was the reason he took the second look at Hanna and her friends. He recognized one of them, Spencer Hastings. She was the best in his class and quite the overachiever. He noticed another student with a dark complexion, he was pretty sure that she was on the swim team. The girl in the middle seemed familiar, but he couldn't see her face. She had her head down and her hair had fallen across her face.

He wondered if that could be her. Was that Aria? Everyone was staring at the foursome, so he assumed she was. He watched them for a few minutes and noticed as Aria's face tilted up, looking at Spencer. Then it clicked, she was the girl who had passed him in the hallway over a week ago. He had been blown away by her beauty and he couldn't say that he wasn't now. He wished that he could go over to her, but his feet wouldn't let him. She was lost in the crowd as students filled the hallways and he cursed himself, moving onto his classroom.

Aria listened as Hanna claimed that Mr. Fitz had checked her out, Spencer and Emily glared at her, making the point that it really wasn't the right time.

"What? You guys can walk on eggs, if you want. Aria needs to be normalized," Hanna shot back.

"Do you mean eggshells?" Aria asked quietly, tired of the other three talking as if she wasn't right there.

Hanna giggled, "Someone stole your job, Spencer. Better watch out."

This caused Spencer and Emily to chuckle and even Aria cracked a smile. She really was glad that Hanna was trying to be normal. That's what she needed more than anything, she needed her old life back.

* * *

_14 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes and 24 seconds._

The days passed slow, but Aria was beginning to come out of her shell, even in the slightest. She was in her first session with her therapist and it was actually going well. She didn't treat her like everyone else did. She didn't act like Aria was some poor little thing who couldn't handle having a conversation. She treated her as an equal and for that Aria was extremely grateful.

Her name was Dr. Anne Sullivan, but she insisted that Aria just call her Anne. They made small talk for the first half of their session. Aria felt herself becoming more and more comfortable and less like a mental patient.

"How are things going at school?" Aria was somewhat caught off guard by the question. Sure, she was her therapist and she was expecting her to ask something like that eventually. But they had been talking about the weather for the past 15 minutes and this was much more complicated.

"It's," she started slowly, drawling out her words and taking a deep breath, "It's scary. I don't feel safe there, not anymore."

Anne nodded, thinking about what she just told her, "Are you afraid of him?"

"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't, he terrifies me. But now he's in juvie, so I'm not scared in that way. I'm afraid of what people think of me..." Aria muttered quietly.

"That's completely understandable. How much time do you have left?" Anne then asked.

Aria looked down at her wrist and a small smile graced her face, "Two weeks." Her stomach swarmed with butterflies. Two weeks. That was all. Two short weeks and she would know who it was, the same excitement turned into worry. What if it wasn't who she wanted it to be? Or even worse, what if they didn't want her? Ezra promised her that someone would, but she wasn't so sure.

"Are you excited?"

Aria thought for a moment before answering, "I am and I'm not." Anne looked at her and encouraged her to go on, "I keep so much pain inside myself. I grasp my loneliness and anger and hold it in my chest. It's changed me into something that I never meant to be. It's transformed me into a person that I don't recognize. But I-I don't know how to let it go. Now Anne, tell me... Who would want to be bound to that for the rest of their life?" Aria's voice broke and there were tears welling in her eyes.

Anne gently grabbed her her hand and looked her in the eyes, "It is perfectly okay to admit that you are not okay. The truth is, you'll never be the same person ever again. There's nothing wrong with that, life is all about letting experiences change you. You're human. They will love you for just who you are. Don't ever doubt that."

* * *

"How did it go?" Ella asked when she picked up Aria. She noticed that Aria's eyes were puffy, she hoped that was a sign that she had opened up.

"Really good, actually," Aria replied, she still had that broken look in her eyes that Ella was sad to admit she was growing used to, but she did look somewhat relieved. It broke Ella's heart to think about what her little girl had gone through. She couldn't help but feel guilty and her ex husband hadn't helped. He made it clear that he blamed her. He claimed that if Aria was living with him and his new wife, Meredith, this whole thing never would have happened. She would be safe. Ella couldn't help but feel like he was right. She shook the thoughts from her head, no use dwelling in the past.

"I'm glad," Ella smiled as she backed out of the parking lot, making their way home.

Aria tapped anxiously on the car door. She couldn't get home soon enough. When she was home she could talk to Ezra and that meant more to her than he knew.

"What's with the tapping?" Her brother, Mike, asked from the back seat, they had picked him up from field hockey on their way home. He had been furious when he found out about what happened. Noel had been one of his best friends and he couldn't believe that he would do that to his sister. He felt like he was being torn in two, but ultimately his loyalty lied with his sister and he couldn't be more upset.

Aria immediately stopped her anxious tapping and gave her brother a shrug. He put a warm hand on her shoulder, his way of being there for her.

The second her mother put the car in park in their driveway, Aria was out the door and bolted to the house.

"Where's the fire?" Ella called out, causing Mike to chuckle as he and his mother shared a look of confusion and shook their heads.

Aria flew into her bedroom and closed the door, flipping open her laptop. She smiled when there was already a message waiting for her.

_Ezra: How did it go?_

Ezra had been wondering about her all afternoon. He knew that she was worried about therapy. She thought they were going to treat her like a nut case and he assured her that that wasn't true.

_Aria: Much better than expected. I was able to open up without feeling like a crazy person. Haha :P_

He heard the familiar ping of his computer and smiled at Aria's message. Her ability to lighten rather dark situations always impressed him. It made him all the more intrigued by the mysterious girl on the other end of the conversation.

_Ezra: I'm glad. You aren't crazy, Aria._

That was so like him, she thought. Always trying to build her confidence, his admiration for her was heartwarming.

_Aria: I know, but I can't help but feel like it at times. So... How are you, Ezra?_

_Ezra: Better, now that I'm talking to you._

_Aria: Really smooth. ;)_

_Ezra: I try my best. ;)_

She was happiest in moments like these. When they weren't submerged in deep conversations. Although those were nice, too. But when he flirted with her shamelessly and made her feel like any other girl.

_Aria: Ezra, I've never thanked you. I mean _really_ thanked you. You mean so much to me, I hope you know that._

His heart sped up at her words. How she managed to have this affect on him, he had no idea. But he definitely didn't mind, not one bit.

_Ezra: I'm so glad that I can be there for you. You're a pretty remarkable person, Aria._

He was tempted to ask her if she attended the high school, to tell her that he saw her and how breathtakingly beautiful she is, but he decided against it. They only had two weeks to go, he could be patient.

_Aria: And you're dumb._

_Ezra: Hey! That hurt. :'(_

Aria giggled at his response, he was able to make her forget her pain so easily. Here it was just the two of them, Aria and Ezra.

_Aria: Put on your big boy panties and get over it. :P_

That made him laugh out loud, her sass surprised him every time.

_Ezra: Briefs, Aria. I wear briefs._

She blushed at his message and buried her head in her hands. She couldn't believe he said that, not that she minded. She wouldn't lie, she had dreamed up what she thought he looked like. It was a pretty nice picture.

It took her awhile to respond and Ezra's nerves kicked into overdrive. How could he have been so stupid? Why would he say that? It was so insensitive. He probably made her uncomfortable, now was not the time. Relief flooded his system when she sent a flirty message back.

_Aria: I wouldn't mind seeing that._

He blushed deep red. They'd never gone here before, this was new territory for them. Though he didn't mind, seeing Aria's sexy side was quite the turn on. It was when he thought about that that he decided to steer the conversation in another direction, it wouldn't take much to upset Aria.

_Ezra: Very funny... Done any reading lately?_

She sighed as he changed the subject, but she realized it was probably for the best. She didn't need to get attached to him in that way, it would only lead to hurt.

_Aria: If depressing quotes on Pinterest count, then yes. I haven't really had it in me to pick up a book._

Ezra frowned when he read her message. He knew that she loved reading, it was one of the many things that they had in common, he was upset that Noel had taken that from her, too.

_Ezra: Want to know a secret?_

_Aria: Hmm... Yes?_

He laughed at himself, debating whether what he wrote was too cheesy. He decided to throw caution to the wind and send it.

_Ezra: You give me the kind of feeling people write novels about._

Her heart melted. If he wasn't the perfect guy for her, she didn't know who was.

_Aria: You are such a sap._

_Ezra: As are you. ;)_

_Aria: True... It's late. I better try to get some sleep. Goodnight, Ezra. :)_

There were things that he wished he could type. Things he wished he could tell her, they were most certainly true, albeit a little creepy. He thought of a poem that one of his students had written in class that day.

He wants to say, _I love you_  
but leaves it at goodnight.  
Because love would mean some falling  
and she's afraid of heights.

He was pleasantly surprised when he had read it and had given that student an _A+_. He resolved that that was what he would do, leave it at goodnight for now and hope that they would meet in two weeks notice.

_Ezra: Goodnight, beautiful Aria._

* * *

**This chapter is my longest so far! I hope you enjoyed the long Ezria chat. ;) Your 15 reviews last chapter blew me away. Wow. You guys are seriously amazing. Don't stop! **

**Love you all (even the silent readers ;) ),**

**-RissyWrites**


	6. Chapter 6: Finally

**Here it is... The chapter you've all been waiting for. Without further ado...**

Chapter Six

_7 days, 2 hours, 36 minutes and 38 seconds._

_Ezra: Are you sure this is a good idea?_

Aria sighed, she'd been trying to convince Ezra of this for 15 minutes already.

_Aria: Yes, I want to hear your voice. You've become one of my best friends, don't I deserve that?_

Of course she did. Aria deserved the world handed to her on a silver platter. He knew that this wasn't wise, but he couldn't resist any longer. He wanted to hear her voice just as badly. So, with that they exchanged phone numbers.

His iPhone played it's familiar tone less than 30 seconds later and nerves bubbled in his stomach. What if she was disappointed? What if he said the wrong thing? This was bound to end badly, yet he couldn't stop himself as he swiped his thumb across the touch screen.

"Hello?"

Her heart swooned at his velvet like voice and she almost forgot to respond, a bubble caught in her throat.

"Hello?" He asked again, this time more drawn out.

She cleared her throat, "Sorry, I just can't believe it's you."

Her voice was like honey. He was sure that he could listen to her forever and finally knew what they'd been missing by limiting themselves to instant messaging.

"Me either, Aria. You have a beautiful voice," he commented sincerely. She was grateful that he wasn't there to see the blush rise to her cheeks.

"Yours isn't too bad either," she giggled. His heart warmed hearing her laugh, it was a millions times better than reading the "haha" or "lol" on the computer screen.

He sighed, "God, I could get used to hearing that."

Aria shook her head, he was such a goof. His sincere interest in her made no sense, yet it seemed she had him wrapped around her little finger.

"One week," she reminded him and his face broke into a smile. The closer the two got, the more he realized how disappointed he would be if it wasn't Aria. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle it.

"I can hardly wait. So close, yet so far," he said dramatically and she smiled. She still felt hurt and broken and messed up in so many different ways, but he kept her grounded. He helped her focus on what was really important.

"Hey, Ezra?" She murmured, her voice suddenly thick and nervous.

"Hmm?" He hummed and she was sure it was the most attractive sound that she had ever heard.

"What if it isn't you?" She asked quietly.

"Let's not worry about that. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be," he assured her, after sucking in a breath. He hoped it was meant to be, he really did.

"Ezra?" She asked again and he purred in response. She cleared her throat again, "Can you read to me?"

"I would love to."

So, he read to her. He read until he heard the quiet snores on the end of the line. Smiling to himself before he bid her goodnight and hung up. He had a feeling that this would be the first of many phone calls.

* * *

_1 day, 20 hours, 25 minutes and 9 seconds._

It was "Sleepover Sunday" and Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Aria were all seated in their respective places in Spencer's room. The girls were happy to see Aria genuinely happy for the first time in weeks. She was smiling and laughing and appeared to be a complete turn around from the girl they'd seen the day before.

"What color for your toe nails? I'm thinking red, it would be hot," Hanna suggested as she rummaged through Spencer's nail polish collection.

"I don't know, Han. Does it matter?" Aria giggled, leafing through a magazine as she laid on Spencer's bed. She was so glad for tonight, it was the first time she'd had real girl time in what seemed like forever. She'd genuinely missed this. Hanging out with her friends while they mindlessly talked about everything and anything.

Hanna's face looked shocked at Aria's question, "Of course it matters! You are meeting your soulmate, Aria. _Soulmate_. You will not have nasty toe nails on my watch."

The girls all laughed and Aria allowed Hanna to paint her nails. Next came picking out her outfit which was quite the ordeal. Emily encouraged her to where something she was comfortable in. Spencer picked out an ensemble that looked like something her mother would wear. While Hanna was more concerned about what she was wearing underneath.

Aria changed the subject as fast as she could, quickly becoming uncomfortable. Was that expected? Sex on the first day? She hoped not, because whoever they were would be sincerely disappointed.

"Did you guys hear about Ryan Gosling?" She asked, knowing it would get Hanna going. And it did. His clock running out had been huge news, leaving millions of girls heartbroken and disappointed, Hanna being one of them.

"The girl isn't even that pretty," Hanna muttered after her 5 minute long speech, wrinkling up her nose in disgust.

"Hanna!" All three scolded, and she rolled her eyes. Just like old times, Aria thought.

Spencer then looked at her seriously, "So, how do you feel? Honestly?"

Aria thought for a moment, "Good, I think. I mean, I'm really nervous. But that's normal, right?"

"Totally," Spencer replied with a warm smile, "I was a complete basket case. But I couldn't be happier."

Emily sighed and the other girls looked at her apologetically.

"No, don't look at me like that," she said with a shake of her head, "I'm really happy for you, Aria."

Her friend's genuine kindness always impressed Aria. She always wanted the other girls to have their fairytale ending, even if she didn't. That easily made Emily one of the strongest people that Aria knew.

"Thank you," Aria smiled and the girls returned to their giddy state.

Aria's phone alerted her of a text message and Hanna grabbed it to hand it to her. Her eyes skimmed over the screen and a look of confusion clouded over her face.

"Who's Ezra?"

The question made Aria's stomach drop. She didn't want to lie to her friends or hide this from them but she was afraid of their reactions. She thought of a million answers she could give, but ultimately she decided that it was time to tell the truth. Her friends loved her, they would be supportive. Right?

"He's uh, he my... He's my friend," she stuttered out. Spencer raised an eyebrow at her. She decided to just spit it out, "I met him on a dating website."

She said it so quickly that her friends had to ask her to repeat, so she took a deep breath and said it again, "I met him through online dating."

"I thought you were all about waiting?" Emily asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I am, I totally am. I don't know... I heard about this website at school and you enter your time to see if you can find your match. And I met Ezra, his friend had signed him up. He's, he's perfect. Honestly, if he's not the one, I don't know who is," Aria explained, a small smile forming on her face as she thought about him. Hanna aww'd and begged for the details.

"We're only friends, right now. But if it wasn't for him, I might not have made it through the last month," she said quietly as her eyes filled with tears. Damn her stupid emotions.

"So, what's the plan? What happens if he's not the one?" Spencer asked gently, always the sensible one.

"We decided that we'd wait until Tuesday. If it's him, which I hope it is, we move forward together. And if it isn't, we plan to meet in person and gush about our soul mates," she sighed, the latter didn't really appeal to her.

Spencer smiled, "Part of me thinks that this is a really bad idea, but the rest of me just thinks it's really romantic."

"And hot," Hanna added, a smirk on her pink lips.

Aria giggled, that went much better than expected.

"Popcorn, anyone?" Spencer offered, after they picked out their movie of the night.

"I'll make it," Aria smiled and took the bowl, skipping down the stairs.

Aria thought about how proud Dr. Sullivan would be of her, how proud Ezra would be. She'd made some serious progress. She was still skittish around guys and some situations made her unbearably uncomfortable. She still locked herself up in her room and cried her eyes out. There was still a pit deep in her stomach that she wasn't sure would ever go away. But she was getting better and just in time.

* * *

_0 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes and 3 seconds._

Ezra and Aria both lay in their respective beds, stomachs fluttering in anticipation. Aria knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep that night, so she pulled out her journal and began scribbling away.

This was it. Tomorrow was the day, they would find out at long last whether they were meant to be or not.

Ezra's mind ran at a hundred miles per hour. When they met it would 2:42 pm. He'd done the math about a hundred times. The only thing, or person rather, that came to his mind was Aria. He'd gotten a haircut that day, just for her. He hoped that she would like it, she hoped that she would like him.

His phone rang and he saw her lyrical name pop up on the screen. It seemed that she was restless, too. So, he did what he had begun doing in the last week when she couldn't sleep, he read to her and they both fell asleep to the sound of each other's breathing. They would both wake to find that they never hung up and wish each other good luck, both with the hope of meeting soon.

* * *

_0 days, 0 hours, 46 minutes and 20 seconds._

Aria paced around the bathroom with her nerves on high. Her friends had just gotten her made up and she had to admit, she looked good. She tried to keep the pep talk going, doing her best to feel comfortable in her skin. She felt as if her heart was going to leap out of her chest any minute and she could hardly stay sane.

Ezra wasn't doing much better. He was teaching a class, impatiently waiting for his free period. He was having an extremely hard time focusing and his students noticed. One girl caught a glimpse of his arm and gasped, he only had half an hour left.

"It's going to happen here? At school?" She sighed dramatically and he sighed, doing his best to get his class back under control.

Finally, his last class was dismissed. He sat at his desk and tried to mark papers, but it was no use. He tapped his fingers against his desk and looked at his wrist.

"10 minutes, 22 seconds," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

_0 days, 0 hours, 3 minutes, 13 seconds._

Aria exited the bathroom and Ezra exited his classroom. Neither were entirely sure where they were going, they were just walking. Everyone else was either in class or had already left the school, leaving the halls empty.

Hearts pounding. Butterflies erupting. Their steps hurried, as they began to run to wherever it was that they were going.

Ezra paused a moment to catch his breath, he really needed to get in shape.

_0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes and 47 seconds._

Here they were. Almost there. They didn't know why they were running, but they couldn't stop. People gave them strange looks from the insides of classrooms. Aria bumped into a teacher, causing his papers to fly across the room. She muttered an apology and kept running, ignoring his cries for her to stop. She didn't care if she got detention.

_5 seconds._

Both swiftly turn down a hall.

_4 seconds. _

As they turn the corner they spot each other, both running faster.

_3 seconds. _

Eyes lock, their breathing shallow. Only a few more feet.

_2 seconds. _

As Ezra looks at her, he's sure. He's sure it's Aria, that's enough to make his heart stop beating.

_1 second. _

"Ezra," she whispers. Now he's positive. He immediately lifts her in his arms and she crashes her lips onto his. Warmth spreads through their bodies. They grasp at each other, smiles covering their faces. They don't even notice the sound of the small metal bars hitting the ground, clocks timed out. All they notice is each other. Nothing else matters.

They pull away moments later, staring at each other.

"Aria?" He asks, just to be sure.

When she nods he pulls her to him again, kissing her forehead and that's when he notices the tears coming down both their faces.

"Hey," he coos, as he wipes away her tears with the pad of his thumb, "Don't cry."

"I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you, so badly," Aria sighs, nuzzling her head into his chest.

He lifts her arm and kisses the now bare skin where her clock used to lie, trying to kiss away all her scars and pain at the same time.

They stand quiet for a moment, just holding each other. Reveling in the feeling of being together at last. Relief flooding through their bodies.

"Wait?" Aria asked suddenly, looking at his outfit. He was obviously older, his vest and tie giving him away. No, it couldn't be.

"You're a teacher," she says, more as a statement than a question. Her chest rising and falling as all of the pieces fell together. It seemed to be in that moment that it hit the couple. What the hell were they going to do now?

* * *

**TADA! They meet! I hope this fulfilled all of your expectations. I seriously had so much fun writing it. Although, there is quite a bit of pressure. I know you've all been waiting for this moment and I hope it was good enough. Please let me know what you thought! And what do you think they'll do now?**

**16 reviews last chapter. Y'all are mind-numbingly amazing.**

**Love you to the moon and back,  
-RissyWrites**


	7. Chapter 7: What Now?

Chapter Seven

Unexpected things happen all of the time. Life screws with you and turns your world upside down. Aria had expected her life to change, but never like this. She should have known, she should have know that her brief moment of happiness wouldn't last.

She looked to the man across from her. He was gorgeous. His dark blue eyes and perfectly tousled dark curls. She lifted her hand and ran it across the stubble on his cheek, sighing. His eyes closed at her touch and he felt his heartbeat quicken.

"What now?" She asked, her voice only a whisper in the empty hallway.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, "I have no idea, it's kind of new territory for me."

She nodded and smiled when he interlaced his fingers with hers.

"We'll be okay, I promise. I will fight for you, Aria...?"

"Montgomery," she giggled, "Ezra...?"

"Fitz. I will fight for you, Aria Montgomery," he promises and Aria believes him.

He stood in thought for a moment, his face deep in concentration, before speaking up, "I think that we should talk to Hackett."

"As in Vice Principle Hackett? Are you crazy?" Aria asked, her voice louder now.

He had to be crazy, they would be forbidden from seeing each other. She couldn't live with that. She couldn't be kept away from him. But most importantly, she couldn't let him risk his career.

"No. We can't get in trouble, Aria. We're meant for each other, we can't help that. This is the most right that I have ever felt and I will _not_ let anyone make it feel wrong," he replied firmly.

They stared at each other for a moment and he took the chance to look at her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. How she could only be 17 years old boggled him. She was so mature, so breathtakingly beautiful. He'd already know that she was special, but being with her in person proved it. He would do anything for her. He would protect her.

"Okay," she agreed. He smiled at her, a boyish smile that she had to resist drooling over, and they walk hand in hand to the principal's office.

Nerves swam in Aria's stomach, twisting and turning. She felt her hand get sweaty and she panicked. This was not good, this was so embarrassing.

Ezra sensed her discomfort and turned to her, noticing her deep blush. He only chuckled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She was cute when she was nervous.

They reached the office and he smiled at her one last time before raising his hand to knock. He wondered what would happen, had this ever happened before? Would they try to keep him from Aria? He would quit before he let that happen.

"Come in," Hackett's stern voice commanded from behind the door and the unsure couple slowly entered.

Hackett raised his eyebrows in confusion before noticing their interlocked fingers. Clearing his throat he looked at Ezra, "Mr. Fitz, let go of the girl's hand. I shouldn't need to warn you about inappropriate contact with a student."

Ezra reluctantly let go of Aria's hand, cold from the lack of contact.

"Is everything okay, Miss Montgomery?" The older man questioned, still puzzled by their visit.

"Yes," she nodded, she wanted to say more but her nerves got the best of her. Hackett then moved his attention to Ezra, silently asking him what this was about.

Ezra began, figuring it was now or never, "We just met and our clocks ran out. We decided it'd be best to tell you, but we don't really know where to go from here."

Mr. Hackett stared at them in shock for several seconds, "You two are—are soulmates?"

"Yes," Aria answered with a smile on her face as she looked over to Ezra.

"Wow," he sighed, sibling into the chair behind his desk. "This is new."

"Yeah," Ezra chuckled, "It's new for us, too."

Mr. Hackett thought for a while, the only sound in the room was the tapping of Aria's high heel.

He took and deep breath and looked up at the pair, already knowing that they wouldn't like what he was about to say, "I'm afraid that this won't be easy. You have two options, neither of which you'll be very fond of. I think it would be best if you two wait it out, wait until Aria has graduated. I don't want to lose you, Ezra. You're a fantastic teacher, but the only other option would be your resignation."

"Then I resign," Ezra replied, not skipping a beat.

Aria immediately felt guilty. He couldn't give up his life for someone as twisted and broken as her. They'd only met 20 minutes ago and she was already messing up his life.

"No, you won't. You're keeping the job, we can wait," Aria said as she looked at Ezra, her tone of voice making it obvious that there was no arguing about this.

Ezra shook his head. He did need this job, _really_ badly. It was only a little over a year, they could handle that. As much as it pained him, he had to agree with Aria. They could only be "acquaintances" for the time being and it killed him, but Aria was helping him to make the mature decision.

"You're right," he said with a drawn out sigh.

So they left the principle's office with heavy hearts. They had promised to keep it on the down low. Just looking at her he knew that this would be the toughest thing that he had ever done. He wanted to confess his love for her from the rooftops, he didn't want to act like today never happened.

He guided Aria to a janitor's closet and she looked at him with confusion before giggling as he whisked her into the small room.

"Ezra, what are you doing? We're going to get in trouble," she warned, but she couldn't help but smile.

Ezra pushed her hair behind her ear and whispered, "I just wanted to say goodbye."

Her breath caught in her throat and she noticed his apprehension, he wasn't making a move. He just stared at her nervously. Maybe he was afraid to make her feel uncomfortable or cornered. Honestly, she expected that she would feel that way, but it was different with Ezra. He made her feel secure and cared for.

Her heart hammered in her chest. She needed to show him that she wanted this, too. This could be their last chance. She lifted herself onto her toes and he pulled her in. This kiss was different from their first. Their first was hurried and intense, passionate and desperate. This was slow and tender, loving and careful. They had never felt so alive or as complete as they did now. When they broke away it seemed as if it was all too soon.

"Are you sure you want to wait? I wasn't kidding when I said I would resign," Ezra reminded her, "I meant it when I said that I would fight for you, Aria."

Aria looked down, tears brimming her doe eyes, "Please don't fight. I'm a screw up, Ezra. I'm not going to do that to you. I'm not worth it."

"Aria, oh god, Aria," Ezra sighed, his voice thick with emotion. Knowing how she saw herself hurt him. He pulled her into his chest, "You are not a screw up. You are worth so much more than a stupid job. You have to know that."

"Nothing feels right anymore," she cried into his chest. Her head hurt. Her heart hurt. Suddenly everything hurt. She felt weak, why couldn't she keep it together, even just for today?

"You'll be okay. I know that it may not seem like it right now, but you will be," Ezra murmured into her hair. He hated seeing her like this, he hated Noel Kahn, he hated the fact that he was a teacher and couldn't love her like she deserved. He hated it.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, pulling back and wiping her now smudged makeup, "Gosh, I'm a mess."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You're so beautiful, Aria," Ezra smiled and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

Aria did her best to smile and moved his unruly curls from his eyes, "I have to go."

"I'll miss this, I'll miss you," Ezra sighed, putting his forehead against hers.

"Already?" She said with a small giggle, trying to lighten the somber mood.

"Already," Ezra smiled.

It was going to be hell to wait, but it was worth it. They were worth it.

* * *

Aria tried to sneak into her house but was immediately tackled by her four best friends and her very excited mother. She was bombarded with questions. _What is he like? Do you like him? Is he cute? Can we meet him?_

She put her hands up to tell them to all stop and they quieted down.

"He's um, he's great. But he has a lot of, a lot of um..." she paused, trying to figure out what to say, how was she supposed to explain this, "Stuff going on right now and you know, with everything happening with me... We just decided to wait for a while." She almost face palmed, that was the lamest excuse she'd ever heard.

Hanna rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Wait for what?"

"Hanna!" Emily scolded and the blonde shrugged her shoulders.

"Wait until we're ready, right now we aren't. Simple as that," she said as nonchalantly as possible, "Anyone want a sandwich? I'm starving."

Her friends shared concerned looks and watched as Ella followed her. This did not sound like someone who had just met their other half and it definitely did not sound like Aria. She was the most romantic of the group, she should be beaming right now and blabbering non stop.

"What the heck is up with her?" Hanna asked rhetorically, "She should be gushing, not making a freaking ham sandwich!"

Spencer nodded in agreement, "This isn't right. Even after everything that's happened with Aria, she was still excited."

"Maybe she was disappointed," Emily offered and the other girls shrugged.

"Maybe."

Ella slowly joined Aria in the kitchen, "Is everything okay, sweetie?"

"Fine," Aria replied a little too quickly. She had to tell her mom, eventually. The principle said he would call her tonight and she decided it would be better if she told her first. That was the least her mom deserved.

"Aria," she said again, drawing out her name in a way that begged her to spill her guts.

"He's... God, it sounds so stupid. He's a teacher at _my_ high school," Aria said with a harsh laughed, her eyes once again filled with tears.

Ella's face filled with shock, "How old _is_ he?"

"He's only 23, it's his first year," Aria reassured her.

Ella tried to hide the panic attack she was having and focus on her daughter. She had never heard of this happening before.

"I see," she nodded, her voice shaky, "I'm proud of you for deciding to wait, it's very mature of you."

"Thank you," Aria replied and did her best to muster up a small smile. "We actually talked to the vice principle, he'll be calling tonight. He wants you to 'keep an eye on me.'"

Ella laughed when Aria rolled her eyes and pulled her daughter into a hug, "One dinner couldn't hurt, right?"

"Really?" Aria beamed.

"Really," Ella nodded, "We'll just say he's a family friend, as long as there's no funny business."

Aria nodded to Ella's warning and hugged her mother again, her sandwich forgotten.

"I think I kind of left the girls hanging. I know that I can't tell them who he is, but telling them about his blue eyes couldn't hurt, right?" Aria smiled before joining her friends.

"He's _really_ cute," she said with a huge grin, much to her friends relief. Nothing that a good talk with mom couldn't fix.

* * *

**Will they be able to wait? How do you think family dinner with Fitzy will go? Hope you enjoyed this chapter. ;)**

**25 reviews last chapter. 25 freaking reviews. Give yourself all a pat on the back for being awesome.**

**Love your guts,**

**-RissyWrites**


	8. Chapter 8: Family Dinner

Chapter Seven

"How did it go?"

Aria stared at Dr. Sullivan, debating how much to reveal. How did it go? It was really good, then it was bad, then it was good again. He's fantastic, although the situation isn't ideal. They could make it work, but it wouldn't be wise. She was happy, but she was also really depressed. She felt like she was drowning and Ezra was trying his best to pull her out of the water, yet she wouldn't let go of the anchor pulling her down. She had a twisted addiction to the pain she felt. It was rather masochistic of her.

"Good, it was good," Aria nodded, settling on keeping it vague. She stared at her leg as she bobbed it up and down.

"Good, that's it?" Anne prodded, trying not to be too pushy.

Aria sighed, knowing she wouldn't get away with trying to avoid the subject, "It's complicated."

Anne nodded, "Complicated how?"

"He's perfect, he really is," Aria smiled at the thought of Ezra, "It's just that our circumstances are... Tough right now. I just have to be patient."

"I can tell that you like him. Do you think that he will be able to help with your recovery?" She asked gently.

She could tell that Aria was already making improvement. She had ditched the baggy sweaters and returned to her unique style. She had her hair curled. High heels on. It was the first time that Anne had seen her appear comfortable with herself. She looked put together. But there was still a sad look in her eyes, one that would take time. She could see the signs of depression all too easily, but having someone helped. She hoped that Aria's person helped.

Aria nodded slowly, biting her lip, "He already has, more than he knows."

* * *

Aria was walking through the school on Thursday morning, looking for one person in particular. She smiled as she looked through the window to his classroom. He was in deep thought, huddled over his desk grading essays. His brow was furrowed, his pencil between his teeth.

She knocked on the door quietly and he called her in without looking up.

"Can I help you?" He asked impatiently.

Aria cleared her throat, putting on her best falsetto, "I was wondering if I could get some help with my extra credit project."

Ezra huffed in annoyance and looked up. The second he did a huge grin spread across his face, it was Aria. _His_ Aria.

"What are you doing here?" He smiled, his eyes shifting to the door nervously. Once he made sure that no one was outside he closed the door. He was so happy to see her. He didn't think he would, not for awhile anyway. He'd spent the night that they met in a bar called Snookers with his best friend, Hardy. His friend had been confused by his somewhat somber mood.

_"If the girl is hot, what's your problem?"_

His problem was that she was only 17 and a student at the high school where he taught. That was his problem.

"I had to see you," Aria whispered, taking a step closer to him.

"If Hackett sees us..." Ezra warned, looking over his shoulder.

"He won't, I just had to ask you something. My mom wants you to come over for dinner tomorrow," she asked, a nervous tinge in her voice.

Ezra looked at her in disbelief, "Really?"

"Promise me that you'll think about it?" Aria said with her best puppy eyes and Ezra was sure he'd never be able to resist her.

"I promise," Ezra said with a chuckle, brushing his hand against hers.

"I better go. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble," Aria said sadly as she took a step back. She noticed his disappointment and gave him a sad smile. At least they would have tomorrow night.

* * *

And Friday night was there before they knew it. Ezra had called and said he would be coming and since then Ella had been in a panic. Everything had to be perfect. Aria had tried to assure her mother that Ezra would be happy, regardless. Still, her mother obsessed about the table arrangements and dinner sides.

Aria heard the knock at the door and rushed down the stairs. She smoothed out her dress before opening the door.

Ezra was stunned. She was absolutely gorgeous, "Aria, wow. You're just...wow."

Aria giggled and straightened his black skinny tie, "You know, you aren't half bad."

He wanted to kiss her so badly and he almost did. Leave it to Aria's mother to disrupt their little moment. She was petite like Aria, with long brown hair and kind eyes.

She smiled warmly at him and reached out to shake his hand, "You must be Ezra. I'm so glad to meet you."

"Likewise, Mrs. Montgomery," Ezra smiled politely.

"Oh, please call me Ella. You're practically part of the family," she assured him, making Aria smile. Her mom was being so sweet and welcoming and it meant the world to her.

Dinner flowed by rather smoothly. Ezra took Aria's hand under the table and Ella pretended not to notice. Aria imagined how different things would be if her dad was still at home. He would be fuming. She was glad that she had her mother's support.

Ella laughed at a joke Ezra made and smiled at him, "I could get used to having you around."

"I could get used to being here," he smiled in return, squeezing Aria's hand tighter. Forget waiting.

Ella made an excuse about needing to run to the store before they ate dessert, conveniently leaving the two alone.

Ezra laughed as the front door shut.

"What's so funny?" Aria asked with her eyebrows scrunched together.

"This, it's going so well. Your mom likes me," he smiled and she playfully smacked his arm.

"Don't get too full of yourself, buddy."

He leant down to kiss her but she stopped him. Rejection filled his veins and he couldn't help but feel a stab to his ego.

"We can't," Aria whispered, looking away.

"Why not?" He asked. He didn't understand why they couldn't just be together.

"We're waiting, remember?" She reminded him, putting more distance between the two as she picked up dishes and carried them to the kitchen. She sighed as he followed her, she could only resist him for so long.

He didn't understand her. One second she was inviting him to dinner, holding his hand and now she was pushing him away. He felt slightly angry but he pushed that to the back burner. She didn't need his anger right now. So, he took another chance.

"Don't make me wait," Ezra whispered in her ear, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine. She turned towards him and tried moving farther away, only to be backed into the counter. And just like that hands were roaming and their mouths were clashing together.

"Jump," he said between kisses and she obeyed. He lifted her onto the counter, pulling her closer by the small of her back. Her hand scraped across his back, feeling every muscle before she settled her hands around his neck. They lost themselves in each other, pulling each other closer until there was no space in between.

* * *

20 minutes later they were settled onto the living room couch, Aria curled into Ezra's side as he played with her hair. Ezra had just done his best to talk her into giving them a shot. Giving them a chance and screwing the rules.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Aria said, unsure of Ezra's new plan, "What if we get caught?"

"We'll be careful. We already have your mom on our side... It can be our secret," he mumbled into her hair, waiting for her to agree.

Sneaking around would be difficult, but she didn't like the idea of them staying away from each other either. Especially after tonight. Here she felt at peace, she was safe. She felt the hole in her chest being slowly filled by Ezra.

"You're insane, you know that right?" Aria asked sarcastically, curling closer into his side.

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me," he laughed and felt Aria tense beside him. It concerned him, how something could change her mood so easily.

Aria sighed, "I think it's the other way around."

How could Ezra think she was worth so much? She was damaged, didn't he understand that? She feared that it would only be a matter of time until he realized that he got the short end of the stick. He would realize that he could do so much better than her.

"I'm okay with that," he replied, placing a kiss to her temple. "Do you know why you're worth it, Aria?"

Aria only shook her head in response and he continued, "Because we're destined to be together, no matter what's happened in our past. I have some demons of my own, but I'm pretty happy with how things are turning out. You are my _future_."

Ella found them only a few minutes later, both asleep. She smiled, that was the most peacefully she'd seen Aria sleep in a long time. She turned the lights out and quietly walked upstairs. Maybe she shouldn't be so supportive, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Her daughter was happy and safe, that's all that mattered.

* * *

**Two updates in two days... Whaaaat? I had the day off for the first time in a while. Hope you enjoyed, they're together! For now. Duh, duh, duh. What happens next? And have we heard the last of Noel?**

**21 reviews in less than a day. You guys are seriously amazing. Gah.**

**Love you to death,**

**-RissyWrites**


	9. Chapter 9: Noel Freaking Kahn

Chapter Nine

Love comes in waves. Sometimes it's that slow tide returning to shore. A constant reminder that the love is still there. Other times it's a tsunami tide. Strong and passionate.

Aria was once told that real love was what was left after that intense love burned away. It was the warm feeling you got in the arms of the one you love. It was when the lovey dovey phase was over but your roots were left so entangled that you stay together.

She felt herself falling deeper in love with Ezra Fitz. What other choice did she have? They were soulmates, after all. She could see their future. Cuddled in front of a tv screen, watching old movies and staying up the rest of the night, just talking. She could see them old and gray, that constant and unwavering love still there, while they watched a mess of grandkids run through the yard.

It had been two weeks since they met. Two weeks of sneaking around and cooping up in his apartment. It was nice. It was sacred in a way. They were able to have a special intimacy, just the two of them. When most people found their soulmates they broadcasted it to the whole world and now Aria was wondering if that made it any less special. It was nice knowing that what she and Ezra had was just theirs. But of course, good things never seemed to last for our dear Aria Montgomery.

She was sitting in her AP Physics class when it happened. She saw the flash of dark hair through the door and convinced herself that she was just seeing things. She'd had quite a few of nightmares and her mind easily played tricks on her. That was all this was. Her mind messing with her and playing with the little bit of sanity she had left.

She got a text moments later confirming her worst fears. This couldn't be possible. No way in hell. Her stomach dropped, her breathing quickened and she was on the onset of a panic attack. Black spots clouded her vision and damn, she just could not get enough air in her lungs. She heard the worried voice of her teachers and Emily, who was in that class. Nothing was helping. Everything began to fade out and she slowly lost consciousness. She was thankful for the break from all of her thoughts, even if it was the more dramatic way to do it.

Emily slowly lifted Aria's phone and read the message. Shit.

_Spencer: Just saw Noel Kahn. Word is he made bail. Be careful._

Aria woke up roughly half an hour later in the nurse's office with a very concerned Emily. The fluorescent lights stung her eyes and she moved her hand to cover them, emitting a small groan of discomfort. She had a pounding headache and wasn't sure how she got here.

"Are you okay?" asked Emily, her face worried and her eyebrows creased.

Aria thought for a moment, she wasn't sure how she was. "I'm fine, I think.. What happened?"

"Aria," Emily breathed out, concerned to how her friend would react to the news that she seemed to have forgotten, "You blacked out in class."

"What? Why?" At this point Aria was just confused. She'd had her fair share of panic attacks, but she had no idea what would bring this on. Emily was about to answer her when the nurse entered the room.

"How are you doing, sweetie?" The kind, 40-something, nurse asked Aria.

Aria cleared her throat, "Better, I guess."

"That was quite the panic attack, everyone was worried out of their minds. I suggest you go home and get some rest," she suggested as she looked through the medical record in her hands. Aria noticed her writing something and wished that she knew what it was. The nurse kept shaking her head and sighing and it was making Aria nervous. She felt like everyone around her knew what was going on with her, but her.

* * *

The second that Ezra found out that his Aria had fainted he rushed to the nurse's office. He didn't want to be obvious and he was sure that Hackett would notice, but right now he didn't give a crap. All that mattered was Aria.

It was when he was on his way that he saw him. He couldn't believe it. How could the bastard be allowed to see daylight? What was worse was that people were treating him no differently. The girls still stared at him as if he was a god and his "bros" fist bumped him and welcomed him back. It was as if he'd been on a family vacation to grandma's, not in a prison cell for the rape of an innocent girl. The girl who was Ezra's whole world.

His nostrils flared in fury and he clenched his fist at his side. He was tempted to walk over and finished what he'd started the day that Noel was arrested but decided against it. He decided it would be best if he went to the principal and found out how he was allowed back in the school.

"Ezra!" Hackett greeted chirpily, pleased to see one of his favorite teachers until he noticed the fact that Ezra was seething.

"What the hell is Noel Kahn doing back at this school?" He said through gritted teeth. His brain pounding out of pure anger and hatred. That excuse for a human had stolen his beautiful Aria's sense of self. He'd stolen her self value and broken her. That was not okay with him.

"I understand your personal conflict," Hackett started but Ezra immediately interrupted him.

"No. This goes far beyond my "personal conflict." He hurt someone. He took advantage. He is a twisted person who ruined someone's life. He caused significant damage to another human being," Ezra responded, his breaths deep.

"Look, he made bail and his fathers on the school board. What could I do?" Hackett asked tiredly.

Ezra gave a harsh laugh, "You know what, Hackett? I used to respect you, it's a shame that I can't anymore."

And with that he left the office, slamming the door behind him. Principle Hackett slumped across his desk and let out a long sigh.

* * *

Aria had been listening to the nurse ramble on about healthy eating habits and the importance of not being over stressed for the last 15 minutes. The nurse was finally distracted by the phone ringing and Aria took the chance to ask Emily what was going on.

"You had a panic attack because Noel is back," Emily whispered. She was so afraid that anything she said would throw her already fragile friend into hysterics.

A look of disbelief crashed over Aria's face and her voice trembled, "If this is a joke..."

"I wish it was, Aria," Emily said gently, rubbing small circles on her friend's back in an attempt to comfort her.

A dry sob escaped Aria's lips. She did her best to control her breathing to avoid passing out. She didn't need to do that more than once a day. She was grateful for Emily but she really needed to see Ezra. He was the only one who actually made her feel safe.

As if Ezra had read her thoughts he came into the room moments later. His breathing was heavy and he looked tense. She had a feeling he'd heard the news. But the second he saw her his expression softened.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

"No," she said as she shook her head, her lips quivering as she did her best not to cry. She didn't want to cry anymore. She didn't want to appear weak. She didn't want to cause him to hurt. She wanted to be strong for him but she wasn't and she was afraid she never would be.

Ezra immediately gathered her up in his arms. He didn't care what the nurse or Emily thought of the act of affection. The nurse hadn't noticed, she was too busy gossiping on the phone. But Emily seemed to be connecting the dots pretty quickly.

"Are you two — are you? Is that why you couldn't tell us who he was?" Emily asked, her words a confused jumble.

Ezra nodded and smiled a sort of sad smile, "Mr. Fitz. Aka Aria's soulmate."

Emily fell into a chair behind her, "Wow."

"Tell me about it," Aria sighed as she pulled herself out of the crook of Ezra's neck. She looked up at Ezra and whispered, "How could they let him come back?"

Ezra shook his head and look of disgust covered his face, "His dad is on the freakin' school board."

There were a lot of twisted things in the world. Justice was rare. But Aria had never felt hurt by it so personally. She felt like she didn't matter. What happened to her didn't matter to anyone else. Why didn't they care? A guy makes bail and is allowed back to school when he could hurt someone. Who's to say she was the first girl that he cornered in a dark alley?

She was interrupted from her thoughts when he mother came through the door.

"Aria, they called me and said you fainted. Are you okay?" She asked softly, still trying to catch her breath from her sprint down the hallway.

This was the third time someone had asked her that question. She knew that everyone was just worried about her, but she was tired of it. "No, I'm not. But I will be," Aria said, trying her best to sound strong. She was tired of her mother worrying about her. It must be a hard job, being a mom. Especially when your child gets hurt. She knows that her mom blames herself, which she thinks is absolutely ridiculous. So that's why she was going to try to save her mother some heartache. She was going to put up her best front and smile.

Ezra excused himself after giving Aria a kiss on her forehead, promising to come back soon. She was safe with her mom. He had someone to see.

"Mr. Kahn," he said in his teacherly voice. He did his best to hide his disdain.

The boy smiled at him, glancing at his friends around him, "How are you, Mr. Fitz? Last time I saw you, you seemed kind of... _Upset_."

Ezra wanted to punch that dumb smirk right off of Noel's face. He forced a smile, "Could I speak to you for a moment? I just wanted to review with you what you missed in class."

Noel nodded and waved goodbye to his friends as he followed Ezra to his classroom. The second the door closed behind them their friendly dispositions melted away.

"I want to make something clear, Noel. The school may be okay with what you've done, but I'm not," Ezra said sternly.

Noel stared at him for a few moments before a sick smile came across his face, "This is about Aria, isn't it?"

"I would feel this way about any student," Ezra defended, which was was partly true.

Noel shook his head, "No, no, no. I'm not stupid, Fitz. Her clock was about to run up and so was yours. Don't tell me... This is priceless. Miss High and Mighty with a teacher. I always knew she was a slut, fate just confirmed it."

That's all it took and Ezra's fist crashed into Noel's jaw.

Noel shook it off and laughed. Wiping the blood from his lip, "I'll let it slide this time, Fitz. I provoked you and I believe in second chances. But don't forget, I have connections on the school board."

Noel left with a wink and Ezra slammed the door. _Why? Why? Why? _Anger surged through his veins and he took it out on a pencil holder. He threw it as hard as he could across the room.

Noel Kahn would not get away with this.

* * *

**Sorry for the longer wait! My week was so busy, you have no idea.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Noel is back and all hell is breaking loose. What do you think Ezra will do?**

**21 reviews. Y'all blow me away every time.**

**Also, I just finished reading _The Fault in Our Stars_. If you haven't read it, go and read it right now. It's perfect. **

**Check out my one-shot _Blue Jeans_ if you get the chance! **

**Love you loads,**

**-RissyWrites**


	10. Chapter 10: The First Fight

Chapter Ten

Aria had spent the rest of her afternoon at home with a tub of Chunky Monkey. She was afraid but she was also extremely tired of being babied. No one would leave her alone. She knew that they meant well, but her mom wouldn't let her pee without checking on her every 2 seconds.

Her friends had texted repeatedly, offering to come and stay. Offering to bring her homework for the day. Hanna offered to rip off Noel's balls, she was just about ready to take her up on that.

But really, she just needed to be alone with her thoughts. She needed to plug in her headphones and try not to think about it. Everyone checking on her was only reminding her of the horror that was her life.

She wondered how Noel would seek revenge. He definitely wouldn't let her go unpunished, that much she knew. The thought gave her chills and she quickly tried to shake it off. She decided to read the book that Ezra had given her a week prior. A copy of _Winesburg, Ohio _with "When you need to leave Rosewood. - Ezra," inscribed on the front page. Reading would help. Reading always helps. She was three stories in when she heard a knock at her bedroom door.

She sighed at the interruption and yelled out, "I'm fine, mom."

The door slowly opened and she was about to protest again when she saw someone who was definitely not her mother. He gave a small lopsided smile and sat at the edge of her bed.

"Hey," she said quietly, not really in the mood to talk. Even to him.

"Hey there," he replied, gently moving some hair from her face.

"What are you doing here, Ezra?" She asked and she realized it sounded a lot harsher than she meant it. She immediately apologized, feeling guilty for her undeserved outburst.

"No, no," he soothed, "It's okay, you've had a long day. I understand."

He said that but she could tell that he was still hurt. She gave him her best smile and he ran his thumb across her cheek. He seemed nervous, like he was worried she would break any second.

"How are you?" He asked softly.

"I'm so sick of people asking me that," she replied exasperatedly. She couldn't handle this right now.

"We're just worried about you, Aria," his reply was defensive and frustrated. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay and she kept jumping down his throat.

Aria rolled her eyes, "Could you stop worrying about me? God. I'm not a crystal ball, Ezra."

"No, but you were hurt and today was hell. We want to help you," he said angrily, getting up from the bed and shuffling around the room.

"I'm so sick of this! I am screwed! I can't be fixed. You can't fix this! Don't you get it? I'm past help. I get enough worry from my parents and from my friends. I don't need it from you!" She yelled. She felt bad about taking her anger out on him, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't take this anymore.

"You know what? I wanted to spend the evening with you, but I think I'll just go home. Goodnight, Aria," he spat out and before she could respond he was slamming the door behind him.

The weight of what had just happened, their first fight, hit her and she crumbled into a heap in her bed.

Ezra stormed down the stairs and when Ella asked what was going on he only shook his head and left the room. He was trying not to be angry, he really was. Aria had a right to be upset, but he didn't deserve to be treated like her personal punching bag.

When he entered his apartment he slammed his door behind him and grabbed a beer from the fridge. All of his movements were harsh and loud as he walked through the small space. It was their first fight and he was angry. He realized that he wasn't necessarily angry with Aria. He was angry about the situation. He was angry that Noel Kahn raped such a precious person. He was angry that Aria was angry. He was just angry.

He wished that Aria wouldn't push people away. She was so stubborn, so extremely stubborn. He just wanted to protect her and let her know that he cared for her.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep if he left this unresolved, so he called her. It went straight to her voicemail and he took a deep breath and let it out.

"Hey there. I get that you don't want to talk right now, I get that. I just wanted you to know that I'll never care how far you push me away. Because when I told you that I would stay, I meant it.

"You're a little damaged and angry right now. You have every damn right to be. But you are not hopeless. I know who you are and I– I love you, Aria. I love who you are and that's why I'll stay, until you learn to love yourself too. I'm rambling and this is going to cut me off any second.. Anyway, I couldn't leave things like we did. Goodnight."

Telling her that he loved her for the first time on a voicemail was not the most romantic thing ever, he knew that. But she needed to know and he needed to tell her.

When Aria turned her phone back on a couple of hours later she noticed the message from Ezra. She cried again, but this time it was happy tears. She loved him, too. He was the kindest and most sincere person she knew. He was her reason to live and she had never felt guiltier about yelling at somebody. She was completely to blame for their fight and he's the one who called to make things right.

She figured that he was asleep so she sent him a message.

_Aria: You are everything to me. You didn't deserve any of that. I'm so sorry._

* * *

It was a Saturday morning and Ezra was shuffling around his apartment in his plaid pajama pants. Getting Aria's text from the night before settled the nerves in his stomach. He'd sent her a reply at 8:00 that morning and asked if he could go over later that afternoon. He wanted to see her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her in person.

Aria invited him over and promised herself that she would have a better attitude. Pushing people away is what she did, but she was going to work on it. For everyone, but mostly for Ezra. He deserved her best. He deserved for her to try, at least. She wanted to appear strong and she had only ended up appearing weak and bitchy.

Spencer and Hanna came crashing into her room minutes later with Emily following closely behind. Emily looked apologetic and Aria had a feeling that she knew where this was going.

"Em said that she knows who lover boy is. That's not fair and you need to fess up," Hanna demanded, her arms crossed over her chest and a pout across her lips.

Spencer nudged her, "Hanna, manners. Aria, it's so good to see you."

"You're looking better," Emily smiled, hoping her friend wasn't upset with her.

"Yeah, your eyebrows look flawless this morning," Hanna added, trying to join the compliment train. Aria looked at her in bewilderment and then turned her attention to Spencer as she began talking.

"First off, Emily didn't mean to tell us. It kind of slipped out, so don't be mad at her."

"I'm not mad at her," she assured, smiling at Emily. Emily looked relieved and they both turned their attention back to Spencer.

"So, would it be possible—"

"Are you going to tell us or not?" Hanna interrupted, impatiently tapping her foot.

Aria nodded and took a deep breath. Hanna and Spencer weren't quite as accepting as Emily. She cleared her throat and spoke as she nervously played with the ring on her finger, "It's Ezra Fitz."

She was waiting for the freak out but the girls only stared at her. Spencer in shock and Hanna in confusion. It only took a few seconds until it clicked in Hanna's brain.

"Fitz as in Mr. Fitzdreamy? Score!" She squealed, doing a little happy dance and clapping her hands together.

"You did not just call him that!" Aria giggled at the nickname. She'd heard girls call him that before, but having it come from her best friend was absolutely ridiculous.

Spencer shook her head, "Well that was... Unexpected."

"You aren't upset, are you?" Aria asked worriedly, dreading what her friend was about to say. She needed Spencer to be on her side. She was the closest to her of the three and if she wasn't supportive she didn't know what she would do.

Spencer shook her head and scrunched her eyebrows, "Of course not. Why would I be upset? It's a little unconventional, but it wasn't your decision. Things happen."

Aria threw her arms around Spencer and then Hanna, "Thank you guys for understanding. But you can't tell anyone, he could lose his job. We promised the principal that we wouldn't tell anyone."

"Our lips are sealed," Hanna said and Spencer nodded in agreement.

That took a weight off of her shoulders. No more lying to her friends.

"We got into a huge fight last night, then he told me that loves me," she admitted quietly, desperately needing to talk to someone about it.

"That's so sweet! Well not the fight part, but the love part," Hanna gushed.

"Wait, wait, wait. Is he the mystery internet guy?" Spencer questioned, completely forgetting about that important detail until now.

Aria nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Yeah, he is."

"Dang, this is romantic," Hanna sighed, throwing herself onto Aria's bed.

"You should have seen him yesterday. He was so worried about you, Aria. It was kind of adorable," Emily smiled.

Aria blushed and shook her head in amusement, "Sounds like Ezra. That's actually kind of what our fight was about..."

"Him being adorable?" Hanna asked, her face scrunched up and confused. Who the heck fights about that?

Aria rolled her eyes, "No. About him worrying. Everyone is so worried about me and I felt like I was drowning. I just wanted to be left alone, no offense to you guys. Anyway, I kind of snapped at him and it escalated."

"And how did that turn into him telling you that he loves you?" Spencer asked, trying to process her best friend's relationship with her English teacher. Wait, what? That was something that she would need to get used to.

"He left and then he called. My phone was off, he left a voicemail," Aria proceeded to play said voicemail causing all of her friends to coo and giggle. They agreed that Ezra was perfect and Hanna created their celebrity couple name: Ezria. Aria liked the sound of that.

"Aria, Ezra is here!" Ella called a few hours later after her friends had gone. Aria tried to straighten herself up and was running a brush through her hair when she heard the light knock on her door.

She opened the door and crashed her lips onto his before he had a chance to speak. He pulled her close, responding immediately. He'd missed her, as silly as that sounded. He felt like he hadn't seen her in a week and he didn't ever want to feel that way again. Although, make up make outs were pretty nice.

They separated and Aria stared into his eyes, playing with his unmanageable curls. A small smile fell on her lips, "I love you, too. I love you so much."

Ezra hugged her and nuzzled his head into her neck, "I love _you_, I mean it. Always."

* * *

**They love each other! What did you think of this chapter? And how do you feel about the girls' reactions?**

**Also, your opinions on the summer premier? Two words: _holy crap_. Let me know what you thought!**

**Please check out my one shot _Blue Jeans_. Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like it's one of the best things I've ever written. I don't know.. But please leave me a review and let me know?**

**I love you bunches,  
-RissyWrites**


	11. Chapter 11: That Night

Chapter Eleven

There comes a time in life when you realize that things get better. Wounds begin to heal. It gets easier to pull yourself out of bed it the morning. It's still a struggle, sometimes it still hurts like hell, but you get up. You can smile sincerely and actually look forward to the day.

Sometimes, though, life isn't so sweet. Sometimes it starts to get better and then the rug gets pulled out from under you and you land on your ass.

Aria thought things were getting better. She hadn't heard from Noel and she and Ezra were closer than ever. She spent Saturdays with him and he came over some week nights. She was closer to her best friends and they were extremely supportive of her relationship with Ezra. Things were looking up. That was until that night...

The day started out like any other. Aria woke up to her good morning text from Ezra and caught a ride with Hanna to school. They spent their time talking about the latest gossip and Hanna's crush on the new bad boy. Aria was happy for the boy talk, it gave her a chance to gush about Ezra. Hanna teasingly made gagging noises and joked about them already being like an old married couple.

The first half of the day was calm and pretty boring. She had History and then English with creepy Mrs. Grunwald. The lady still gave her the chills and she desperately wished she was listening to Ezra instead. But there was no way in hell that would happen with Hackett on their backs.

Lunch was normal. She sat with Spencer, Toby, Hanna, Emily and Emily's new "friend" from support group, Maya. She seemed sweet, albeit a little rough around the edges. Emily definitely liked her.

People at school had finally stopped looking at her like a sick puppy and Noel had a different schedule so she never saw him. His threat all those weeks ago still lurked in the back of her mind but she tried to focus on other things. She had an amazing support group and none of them would let her get hurt. They had her back.

The afternoon droned on and she took her study period in the library where she happened to bump into Ezra like she did every other Wednesday and Friday afternoon. They hid out behind the back shelf and discussed Steinbeck and haikus. It was some of their most treasured time together. Aria would casually drop her hand onto his and act as if she didn't notice and he would peek around the corner before entwining their fingers. It was perfect and so...them.

"I love moments like these, just you and me in a musty old library," Ezra smiled, squeezing her hand tighter. He was so happy to see her happy. That was really all that mattered to him anymore.

All in all, it had been a pretty great day. She had aced her tests, spent quality time with her friends and boyfriend and even had a really good session with Dr. Sullivan after school. Anne was extremely proud of her progress and decided that they would only need to meet once a week instead of twice.

"Yeah, she said that I've really improved," Aria smiled as she talked to her mom on the phone. She was on her way to Spencer's for a girl's night.

"I'm so glad. I'm happy for you, honey. You're doing so well," Ella commended on the other end of the line. She was doing well. Everyone saw it. Everyone felt it. Aria was becoming herself again.

Aria made her turn onto Spencer's street and bid her goodbye to her mother, Emily's car was already there. She hopped out of her car and headed towards the barn. The door was open and Emily was lounged on the couch while Spencer poured potato chips into a bowl.

"Hey!" Aria greeted, plopping down next to Emily. Emily was speed texting on her phone with a goofy smile on her face. Aria looked at Spencer questioningly and she mouthed back, "Maya." Aria nodded in understanding and a warm smile came across her lips. She was glad that Emily was moving on, that she'd found someone even though her _someone_ was gone.

They all looked as Hanna came in moments later, her arms crossed over her chest and fume coming out of her ears.

"Mona is such a bitch."

"Whoa, Han. Slow down, what happened?" Aria asked, pulling her legs under her.

Hanna looked at her sadly, "She started a rumor that you hooked up with Noel for money and that when he didn't pay up, you went to the cops."

Aria's jaw dropped and she shook her head, speechless. She knew that Mona was vicious, she would do anything to take someone down. But this? Was Mona's heart made of ice? She didn't understand how someone could fail to have the slightest bit of compassion. What Noel did was cruel and sick, but this seemed just as bad.

"And people believe her?" Spencer asked incredulously, giving her signature _Spencer look_.

"Everyone believes Mona, she's at the top of the food chain," Hanna grumbled, "Pass the chips."

Aria sat silently, trying to process everything. What did Mona get out of this? Why couldn't people let her move on.

"Hey," Emily said with a small nudge, "You okay?"

Aria just shook her head, "Why do I get called out as a slut? How is that fair?"

"It's not. People are just stupid and jealous because you have people who love and support you. Meanwhile, they're miserable and alone. They only want to make everyone around them feel just as miserable," Spencer said with a sad smile as she sat next to Aria.

Hanna sighed, "I can't believe she's my friend."

"Let's not focus on this. It will all blow over by tomorrow," Emily assured before picking out their movie for the night. Aria tried to go along with it and shake the worried thoughts from her mind, but she couldn't. Her head was pounding she just couldn't stop thinking. She could only imagine how Ezra would react when he heard the school rumors. He was extremely protective. Aria would have to calm him down and make sure that he didn't lash out against Mona and create suspicions.

She shifted uncomfortably before standing up, "I just need some fresh air."

The girls nodded and Spencer offered to go with her. After she declined, Spencer made her promise to be careful. She made her way out of the overheated barn and stood in the cool fall air. All of the leaves had fallen from the trees and they cracked beneath her feet. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was peaceful and quiet. Just what she needed, a place to clear her heard and breathe out her hatred for Mona Vaderwaal.

She heard leaves crunching behind her and she tensed up. Her nerves went into overdrive and her head shot up. She nervously looked around her and didn't see anything.

"Chill, Aria. It's just a squirrel," she mumbled to herself as she fidgeted with the chunky rings on her fingers. She didn't really remember how, but she had wandered quite a ways off from the barn. She was alone and suddenly she was panicking. What had she done? She tried her best to stop herself from hyperventilating but it was too late. She heard another noise and realized that it was footsteps. She hid behind a tree and covered her mouth to quiet her quick, panicked breaths.

"Aria?" A voice called out, "Why are you hiding?"

She tried not to squeal and bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from yelping. She was a ticking time bomb.

"Aria, come out. I just want to talk," the voice soothed. It was then that it clicked in her mind. She was already freaked out, but this took it to a whole new level.

The voice was none other than Noel Kahn's.

"Come on, I'm going to find you eventually. Mr. Fitz isn't here to protect you so you might aswell come and face me. Do you always let everyone else fight all of your battles for you?"

She had to admit that his words hurt and her pride made her want to walk out and kick him in the nuts. But she convinced herself that he wasn't worth it and made a run for it. Just as she thought she was safe she felt arms grab her from behind. A hand covered her mouth as she struggled, quieting her screams.

That was when she gave up. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of the life that she had been given and a slew of expletives rushed through her mind as she thought about it. She felt done. She resolved in her mind that Ezra would be fine without her. He was charming and would move on in no time. Sometimes soulmates aren't meant to be together. There never really was a happy ending for them. So she stopped fighting and let herself slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Where is Aria?" Hanna yawned as she stretched. She hadn't even made it halfway through the movie before falling asleep. Emily fell asleep soon after and she woke up slowly.

Spencer entered the door right then, a frightened look on her face as lightning lit up the sky behind her.

"I've looked everywhere for her. I think I heard a scream."

* * *

**I updated, finally! I'm so extremely sorry for the slow update. This has been one of the busiest weeks of my life and I've hardly had time to read fanfiction let alone write. But I thank you all for your patience, support and reviews. You are all the best. **

**What did you think of the cliff hanger? Hate me yet? Sound off in the reviews what you think will happen next. :)**

**Annnnddd... I hate to notify you that I'll be on a trip for the next 10 days. It's going to be super packed and I doubt I'll have a chance to write. Again, SO SORRY. I hate to leave you hanging like this but I promise to update as soon as humanly possible. **

**Love you bunches**,

**-RissyWrites **


	12. Chapter 12: The Devil Within

Chapter Twelve

The first word to describe the state that Ezra was currently in was pure and uncontrolled panic. He was scared to death for Aria and as he stood with her three best friends trying to figure out their next step he couldn't stop imagining how afraid she must be.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Fitz," Spencer whispered, she was in her own state of terror. Tears were streaming down her face and her voice trembled.

He looked at her in confusion, his eyes were tired and he looked like a mess. His curls were spread out in all different directions from him constantly running his hands through his hair, an anxious tick of his. His shirt was untucked and wrinkled and his left shoe was untied. "What are you sorry for?"

Spencer took a deep breath and Ezra could see the guilt in her mocha eyes, "I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to take care of her for you."

"Hey, hey," Ezra said softly before pulling her into an awkward hug, trying his best to comfort his student and he supposed, his friend. "It's not your fault. We all know how strong willed Aria can be. But she is going to be okay. We'll find her, we'll bring her home. I promise. We just need to hope that we get to her soon."

"And if we don't? You know what I say about hope, it breeds eternal misery," she said with a sigh and pulled away. Wiping the tears from her eyes.

"We need to be positive, Spence. That's the only way we'll stay sane enough to find Aria," Emily said as she put her hand on her friend's shoulder. Spencer shrugged her off and made her way out of the barn.

"I need to call Toby," she called before closing the door behind her.

"Spencer is just easily worried. You should have seen her when she spilled coffee on her mom's blazer," Hanna said, trying to lighten the mood. But there was no way that would happen. The cold hard truth was that Aria was gone and none of them were sure if they would see her again.

* * *

Everything was a blur. She smelled cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around her. It was pitch black, except for the glow of tail lights. That's when it clicked. She was in a car trunk. She squirmed but her hands were taped together. Screaming was useless, there was duct tape across her mouth. She felt the car pull onto a bumpy road and internally groaned, she was probably in the middle of some forest. No one would find her. She would never see her friends again. She would never see her mom or Ezra. Noel was going to kill her.

She listened closely, the least she could do was try to get a sense of where they were. That was always important on mystery shows and stuff, so she gave it a shot. First, she just heard gravel beneath the tires. Then she picked up the sound of water, like there was river nearby. The only river that she knew of in Rosewood was just outside of town, her family used to always go there on picnics. Her determination to get out of this alive was growing. That scared, tired girl was replaced with the girl who wasn't going to let this defeat her.

She pulled her secured hands toward her mouth and worked at pulling off the tape. When she finally pulled it off, she smiled and started working on the tape around her wrists. She used her teeth to tug and pull. She finally felt it coming undone and rubbed her raw wrists. She was almost there.

* * *

Ezra felt a strange pain on his wrist and rubbed it gently. He'd heard that sometimes when your soulmate is in distress or hurt, you could feel it too. He wondered if that's what this was. His stomach lurched and he accelerated. He, along with Spencer, Toby, Hanna and Emily, was driving all around Rosewood looking for the girl who held the other half of his heart.

"Are you sure that you should be driving, Mr. Fitz?" Toby asked meekly from the back seat as they swung around another turn.

Ezra only looked at him for a moment before turning his attention back to finding Aria, "I'm fine."

Toby decided that he would drop it and suffer his car sickness quietly. He shared concerned looks with Hanna and Emily who were in the back seat with him. Spencer and Ezra were both in the front and they were both very irritable and very jumpy.

Toby had come as a reinforcement after Spencer called him. She had sounded like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, so he came as quickly as he could. He was surprised to see his English teacher when he arrived but quickly got over that. They all had one thing in common: Aria. She was important to all of them in different ways.

Aria had helped Spencer warm up to Toby in the first place and had always been so supportive of them, she was one of his closest friends. She was the one he would go to for relationship advice whenever he and Spencer fought and she was always there for him.

Aria had helped Hanna find her self-confidence after she suffered with an eating disorder. She was always so bright and caring, she would do anything for her friends. She had helped nurse Hanna back to health and make her proud of who she was.

She'd been the one who held Emily when she cried over the loss of her soulmate. Emily could still remember thirteen year old Aria so clearly. She could remember her with pink streaks in her hair as she read Emily to sleep on her worst nights.

To Spencer, Aria was the other half of team Sparia. She was the girl she was closest to. They were polar opposites, but Aria was the one person she could always count on. She was her best friend. She was her sidekick and the only person that could calm her down when she got worked up over something.

As for Ezra, she was his soulmate. The only person for him and the light of his life. They were supposed to grow old together, she was supposed to be the mother of his children and his one true life partner. He loved her more than life itself, as cliche as that sounds, and he was determined to make sure that she got the life and the love that she deserved.

The group of five were all motivated by their love for Aria, the small pixie with the big eyebrows that only she could pull off. She was their supporter, morale booster, comforter, partner in crime and their best friend. It may have been an odd gang of people, but they all loved Aria and they were going to find her. They were going to keep her safe from here on out. They would be there for the girl who did so much for others. The girl who selflessly gave of herself to help her friends.

* * *

Aria's breathe hitched as the car came to a stop. She had fumbled around to pull the emergency latch for the trunk and found that it had been removed. She also discovered that her phone had been taken from her. She heard steps outside the car and she tightened her grip on the tire wrench that she had found, carefully hiding it behind her before the trunk flew open.

Noel smirked down at her, "I'm so glad to see that you're awake. You could get in big trouble for taking off that tape. You weren't trying to escape, were you? Would you like to say anything about that while you can?"

Aria shook her head and took deep calming breaths. She didn't need to be afraid of him. He was just a perv who was severely lacking in the brain department. As he leant over her with a fresh strip of duct tape she took action. She quickly swung the wrench and knocked him over the head. He fell back and she breathed a sigh of relief. She did it. She was free. She looked down and saw Noel's seemingly lifeless body, his head in a pool of his own blood. She jumped out of the trunk and ran. She ran and she never looked back.

He heart was pounding and her adrenaline was rushing. He hadn't done any real damage and she was alive. She didn't think she was going to make it, but she did. There were so many feelings flooding through her system as she ran. She was scared, relieved, happy and sad all at the same time. Now she just had to make it home. She froze when she saw headlights rounding the corner. She should have been happy that she found someone but she was still so afraid. You couldn't trust anybody, she had learned that the hard way.

She squinted her eyes as she took a closer look at the car. It couldn't be. Her heart leaped and she ran as the car came to a stop. Ezra swung the door open and ran for her. He pulled her into him immediately and muttered _thank god_ about a million times into her hair.

"You found me," Aria whispered, hugging him tighter and tighter. Spencer, Toby, Hanna and Emily all stood and watched the reunion from a distance, beyond relieved that she was standing in front of them.

"I found you," he sighed, breathing in the smell of her vanilla shampoo. He didn't think he would ever smell that smell again. He never thought that he would hold her again. He took a step back and caressed her cheek before looking her over. She was covered in dirt and her wrists were red and irritated. There was blood on her shirt and he immediately panicked.

"Is this yours? Are you okay? What happened?" He asked in a confused jumble.

Aria looked down and saw the blood before shaking her head, she felt numb at this point. It was if her actions had finally sunk in and she didn't know how to feel about it, "I think– I think I killed him."

There was no remorse or guilt in her voice, it was just emotionless.

Part of her expected some kind of reaction out of Ezra but he just pulled her closer and assured her that she did what she had to do. That it was okay. Still, as numb as she felt and as much as she hated Noel, it didn't feel okay. So she curled closer to Ezra and closed her eyes.

She tried to forget Noel, she tried to forget everything that had happened in the last couple of hours and focused on Ezra. The way his shirt fabric felt against her cheek. The way his lips felt against her head. How he smelled distinctly of scotch and books, how did he do that? She played with the button on his shirt pocket mindlessly as he lead her back to his car.

Aria refused to let go of Ezra, it was like he was her lifeline. The only thing that was keeping her from snapping. So, Spencer offered to drive and Ezra sat in the passenger seat with Aria in his lap. He could only hope that she would recover. But you know what Spencer says about hope, it breeds eternal misery.

* * *

**I updated! I'm so proud of myself. Haha! Now, the waiting will begin. Only 10 days, my friends.**

**Aria killed Noel. What what? What do you think will happen next? Will Aria recover? Is there another mental breakdown in her future? Review and tell me your theories! **

**Thank you once again for all of your reviews, you guys rock! I seriously appreciate each and every one of them. And I hope you don't all actually hate me. Consider this chapter as my peace offering to you.**

**I really love you guys, like a lot.**

**-RissyWrites**


	13. Chapter 13: Dark

Chapter Thirteen

Some people say that depression feels like being in a dark tunnel with no way out. It's pitch black and as hard as people try to help them get out of the damn tunnel, it's no use. They're stuck.

That's how Aria Montgomery felt. She hadn't spoken a word since that night and she didn't plan on it. She just wanted out. She didn't want to be alive anymore. She didn't want to be _stuck_ anymore. She had felt like a terrible person before, now that was just multiplied by a billion. Some people fawned over her like she was some kind of hero, but she felt like anything but.

Every time that she closed her eyes she saw Noel. She heard the crack as she hit his skull. Her stomach was twisted in knots constantly. Everyone told her that she'd done what she had to do. It was her or him. But what difference did it make if she wanted to take her own life because of it? She felt like she was going insane and she probably was.

Ezra had been over everyday. He was dying for her to let him in. To look at him, anything. But she didn't. It had been ten days, ten tortuously long days. But ever since that night, after he had dropped her off, it had been radio silence. Ella told him that Aria was an expert at icing people out. But she wasn't just icing him out, she was icing out everyone and everything.

She just sat there and stared at a wall, digging her fingernails into her palm until it broke the skin. They had tried to stop her countless times, but it was useless. Ezra was afraid that she had reached her breaking point, that this had thrown her far over the edge. He was afraid that this would be his life. He never, not once, wished that it hadn't been Aria waiting for him when his clock ran out. He would be there for her, no matter how long it took. Still, it was hard and it hurt. It may of sounded selfish, but he was angry. He was angry that she didn't even think about what she was doing to all the people that loved her.

Spencer had called the police. They knew that trying to keep this a secret would do more harm than it would do good. They found his body the next day and quite a bit of evidence leading to self defense. They had scheduled the court case to a few days later. Mrs. Hastings defended Aria and the case was closed rather quickly. Mona had dared to show up, a smug look on her face.

_"I always knew you were insane."_

Aria sat there numbly and listened to her taunts. Mrs. Hastings had Mona pulled away and Aria was grateful. She couldn't handle that. She made herself feel guilty enough, she didn't need Mona's help. She watched as the Kahn family cried out for justice.

That's what killed her. She had taken a son, brother, grandchild. She had taken someone's soulmate. Someone's clock had broken because of her. Whoever it was, they were probably just as messed up as Noel. But that didn't mean that they didn't deserve to be together. Everyone deserved that.

She had done what the person who murdered Alison did to Emily. She had stolen someone's chance for happiness. So why did she deserve that kind of happiness? That was the reason she had blocked Ezra and everyone else out. It hurt her to see him so distraught, but she knew that he would eventually realize that he got the crappy end of the deal. She had gotten this amazing, lovable, kind person and all he got was her. A killer who didn't even have the courage to live.

Ezra had spoken with her therapist, who had been shocked to find out that he was Aria's soulmate. After she got over that, she assured him that Aria would eventually come out of it. It took some people longer than others to deal with that sort of trauma. But most did recover.

_"And if she doesn't?" He asked quietly, the thought alone breaking his heart._

_"If she doesn't," Dr. Sullivan replied sadly, "then you're allowed to move on."_

_Ezra shook his head, "I can't abandon her. I love her."_

_"I know you do, but sometimes soulmates aren't meant to be together. I'm not asking you to abandon her, but remember. Your life and your sanity matters, too."_

Her words rung in his ears.

_Sometimes soulmates aren't meant to be together._

He thought that was complete bullshit. There was no way that was true. Of course soulmates were meant to be together, that was the whole point. They were supposed to be together, dammit. If he didn't get that with Aria, he was going to feel extremely screwed over. Even if he didn't deserve that, she did. Whether she believed that or not.

Time continued to pass. Aria was silent. Ezra was frustrated. Ella was exhausted. Her friends were upset. Before any of them knew it months had flown by and it was the beginning of spring. Aria was still silent. Ezra visited less. Ella was extremely irritable, due to the exhaustion. And the girls had slowly started to move on with their lives.

It was the end of their senior year and they were caught up in picking colleges and saying goodbye to childhood. It was something that they had always anticipated Aria to be a part of. Aria had practically missed the whole school year and wouldn't be with her friends for graduation. She wouldn't go to art and design school with Hanna, like they had planned. She wouldn't spend her spring breaks being carefree and irresponsible with her best friends. None of it.

This was supposed to be an especially happy time for Aria and Ezra. It was their one year anniversary and they would finally be free to be together after graduation. On their anniversary, Ezra took her flowers and spent the day reading to her. He left the unresponsive girl with a kiss on the forehead and a heavy heart.

Ezra was losing hope. He felt guilty to be moving on with his life, or trying to. But he couldn't help it. He was holding onto someone who didn't love him enough to try. He hated feeling that way, but he he did. His friends had set him up with a nice girl named Simone. She was pleasant enough and she was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. They went out a few times, but he couldn't shake the guilt. It just didn't feel right. His feelings for her couldn't even compare to what he felt for Aria. He knew that he and Simone had no future and he couldn't imagine how hurt Aria would be if she knew.

_"I thought you liked me, Ezra."_

_"I did, I–I do. But I can't lead you on. This isn't going anywhere. I'm sorry."_

_"You still love her, don't you?" She asked quietly. She wasn't as much upset as she was touched. You didn't meet very many guys like Ezra. _

_"I don't think I could stop if I tried, and I have," he responded with a small chuckle. _

_She smiled and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, "Goodbye, Ezra."_

_"Goodbye, Simone."_

Of course he still loved her, he always would. No matter how frustrated and tired he was, no matter how hard he tried to move on, he couldn't.

To be honest, everyone was surprised that Aria had hung on this long. She was living but she wasn't alive. She had tried to take her life a few times, but she was still here. Even if she wasn't really. They had tried everything to help her get better but nothing worked. Dr. Sullivan only had one idea left.

Radley.

At first her mother had been skeptical and decided to give it a few more weeks. See if Aria would make any improvement. She didn't.

Ezra visited the day that Ella had informed Aria of their new plan. Ezra entered the house and for the first time in months, Aria acknowledged his presence. His heart skipped a beat and a small smile came across his face.

"Hi," he said quietly and sat next to her.

"Guess who's going to the nut house?" Aria asked, her voice was hoarse and quiet. Her throat hurt like heck, she figured that's what happens when you don't speak for months at a time.

Ezra's eyes bulged out of his head, not only at the fact that she was speaking but also what she had just told him. They heard a plate break in the kitchen as Ella rushed into the living room, shocked to hear her daughter's voice again.

Aria looked back at Ezra, defeated.

"Ready to give up, yet?"

* * *

**I'm back and here is your promised chapter! So, we're about 6 months into the future and Aria's going to Radley. What do you think? Review and let me know, pretty please. ;) Also, sorry for the shorter chapter. I always try to have at least 2k, but I felt like I wanted this to be shorter to kind of summarize and get you to where the story is now. Anyway...**

**Thank you all for your follows/favorites/reviews. You're the bomb. For reals.**

**Love you more than Ezra loves chickpeas,**

**-RissyWrites**


	14. Chapter 14: Together

Chapter Fourteen

Radley Sanitarium. Aria's new home away from home. A warm and healthy environment. A place where people would "understand" what she was feeling and help her to cope. They promised to help her deal with her pent up emotions and be back to herself in no time.

Aria hadn't heard such complete and utter BS in a long time. Radley wasn't full of people who understood, it was full of doctors claiming to care for crazy people who had no real hope. It was everyone's last resort, meaning it was the craziest of the crazies. She guessed that she fell in that category now.

At least she had started speaking when spoken to. That was progress. She saw everyone's determination to get her better diminishing. Everyone was sick and tired of her. She couldn't blame them, she was tired of herself.

_"They'll be able to help you in ways that I can't," Ella explained as her voice cracked._

Aria was relieved that she would no longer be a burden to her mother or her friends. Or Ezra. He was giving up on her and she didn't blame him. She was pretty sure that he thought that she didn't love him anymore. That was far from the truth. His persistence made her love him even more. But she wanted him to move on. She didn't want to tie him down anymore. He didn't deserve to be forever bound to a person who couldn't hold themselves together.

So here she was, standing outside the loony bin in her Victoria's Secret sweatpants with her nervous mother beside her. They walked in and two nurses welcomed Aria with smiles and her very own pair of loony bin slippers. Yay.

"First thing you have on your schedule is orientation, Sandra will help you with that after you're settled. Eddie will lead you to your room. Any questions?" The desk clerk with the name Janice on a little gold name badge asked her.

Aria didn't really like her. She was too nice. The kind of nice that was insincere and pitying.

"No, no questions," Aria shook her head before bidding goodbye to her mother.

"I'll be back tomorrow with Ezra. I love you, _so_ much," Ella said as tears filled her eyes and she pulled Aria into an embrace. She nodded against her mothers shoulder and did her best to hug her back.

After they parted, Aria followed, who she assumed to be, Eddie down the hall. It smelled weird. Kind of like mashed potatoes and hand sanitizer. It was eery enough on it's own, the sudden thunderstorm outside didn't help. Over the thudding rain she heard a boy wailing and it gave her the chills.

Eddie seemed to notice and gave her a sympathetic smile, "You get used to it."

Aria nodded and they kept walking. She liked him. He didn't treat her like she was crazy, he spoke to her as an equal. She appreciated that.

Once they reached her room, Eddie showed her around. She placed her bag on the bed and looked at the small room. It had a desk and two chairs. One she assumed was for visitors. Everything was cold and metallic. Nothing was warm and cozy as was promised by the brochure.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Eddie asked as he stood by the door.

"A new brain would be nice."

"I'll see what I can do," he said with a small chuckle, obviously humored by her sarcasm.

"Will you– uh– will you be my nurse from now on?" She asked quietly, she didn't want to sound needy on her first day.

"Technically it's an attendant, but yes. You're in my ward, so we should be seeing a lot of each other. Is that a problem?" He asked with a small smile.

Aria gave a small smile back and shook her head, "No, I'm glad. You're far less annoying than the rest of them."

"I'm happy to hear that," he replied before making his way out of the room. He hesitated for a moment before turning back, "You know, you don't seem crazy to me."

"I think the proper term is 'mentally disturbed.' Sometimes I feel crazy, but I don't think I am. Not really. I'm a killer, that's different."

Eddie nodded, "We'll talk about that later. You have orientation. If it makes you feel any better, they have popcorn and a movie?"

"Not really, but thanks."

"Hang in there, kiddo."

And with that she was alone. She sat on the creaky bed and sighed. How did everything get so screwed up? A little more than a year ago she was a normal teenage girl anxiously awaiting meeting the love of her life. Now? Well now, she was a murderer who had probably ruined her relationship. What a difference a year can make.

* * *

Her first day had been okay. The food was mediocre. Almost everything was mashed and indiscernible. She thought she'd had peas, but she wasn't sure. She was anxious for her mom and Ezra's visit. After much thought, she had decided that today she would officially break it off with him. It would hurt like a bitch, but that's what love was. It was sacrificing your happiness for another's.

Her mother smothered her and kissed her forehead about 50 times while Ezra stood waiting for his turn. Aria gave her mother a small smile and assured her that she was fine, considering.

Ezra took a small step towards her and spoke softly, as if he was afraid he would startle her if he spoke any louder, "I miss you. Uh, we all miss you. Spencer, Hanna and Emily begged me to tell you that they couldn't wait to see you."

Aria nodded and watched as his jaw tightened. Obviously disappointed by her response, or lack thereof.

"Ella, could I have a moment with Aria? Please." Ezra asked Ella quietly and she nodded before excusing herself. Ezra dragged a chair across from where Aria was sitting on her bed.

"I want to make this work."

"I don't think this is going to work."

They both said at the same time and Ezra looked confused and hurt.

"Wait, what?"

"I don't think this is going to work," Aria said again, more slowly. She gnawed at her bottom lip and stared at the floor, unable to look at Ezra's pained expression.

He cleared his throat and looked at her, "I love you, Aria. I know that you don't feel like you need me right now. But that– that doesn't mean that I don't need you."

Spencer had told her something very similar just a few months ago. She missed the other half of Team Sparia. But Aria just couldn't imagine that anyone could need her. They'd be out of their minds to want someone like her in their life.

"You think that you need me, but you don't, Ezra. You don't," Aria choked out, swallowing back her tears.

"Hey, look at me," Ezra said before gently lifting her chin until their eyes met, "I will alway need you. _Always. _That's just the way we were built. But I don't regret that. I'm so happy that I have you. Or at least, had you."

"You won't give up, will you?"

"Not until you tell me that you don't love me. Say it and I'll stop bugging you," he replied desperately, holding onto her fragile hand.

She looked at him for a few moments and thought. She tried to make herself tell him that she didn't. But that was a flat out lie and she couldn't handle what that would do to him. That's when she realized that keeping him out of her life was doing more harm than good. It was hurting the both of them and no one was happy.

Dr. Sullivan had once said that Ezra was Aria's "miracle." Maybe if she tried to let him love her, she could be okay again. If she just tried for him.

"I can't," she finally said, her lips trembling. Ezra let out a breath he had been holding and brought her hand up to his lips.

"This is the thing, Aria. It's 5pm and I love you. In 2 years, I am going to love you. 5 months ago, I loved you. 5 years, 2 days, 6 minutes, I will love you. When I am 70 years old and sitting on my porch on a big white house on a lake, I will love you. I just hope that you're there for all the time that I will love you."

By the time Ezra finished his speech, Aria was bawling. But for the first time in a really long time, she was crying because she was happy.

"I love you, too. I'm so sorry."

Ezra pulled her into his arms and held her shaking body. Tears fell down his own face and he nuzzled it into her neck. He had been so worried that he would never get her back. She was still on the road to recovery and it would take patience, but they could make it. Soulmates always did have the habit of making their way back to each other, one way or another.

"Together?" He whispered into her neck and she nodded.

"Together."

_Fin._

* * *

**Okay? Okay. I hope you all aren't angry for it ending there. But I felt like it was a good place. I didn't really want to delve into treating all of Aria's emotional problems because I think that can get boring. But she's on the road to recovery. A hopeful ending, I think. And there will be an epilogue out soon.**

**The response to this story had blown me away and I know that I've said it a billion times. But THANK YOU. EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU. I hope my story made you happy and I'm so glad that I was able to share it. I'm sorry it's not longer, I don't really have the ability to write more than short stories. Yet. But thank you.**

**LOVE YOU GUYS. SO MUCH.**

**Let me know if you have any requests for my next Ezria story ;)**

**love you bundles, (is that an expression? Don't know, don't care.)**

**-RissyWrites**


	15. Chapter 15: Epilogue

Epilogue

_5,475 days, 49 minutes and 32 seconds._

"I still don't get it."

"What don't you get?" Aria asked patiently with a small smile on her face.

Two huge blue eyes looked up and met Aria's. They seemed confused and extremely curious, "You just meet someone and the thingy falls off, then you're supposed to spend _forever_ with them?"

"Something like that," Aria said with a small chuckle. She'd been preparing herself for this conversation for a while. The petite five year old seemed to have just noticed the small clock on her wrist and was bubbling with questions.

Aria smiled down at her little girl who was deep in thought. Aria could just watch her for hours and be content. The way her eyes would flicker when she got an idea or how she scrunched her eyebrows together when she was thinking really hard fascinated Aria to no end.

Esme Rose Fitz had turned out to be the perfect combination of Aria and Ezra. With her dark brown hair and small stature and her father's bright blue eyes, there was no doubt that she was their child. She could be stubborn but also loving and patient, just like Ezra. She shared her parents' thirst for knowledge which led her to ask loads upon loads of questions.

Of course, Ezra and Aria hadn't been the only ones to start a family. Spencer and Toby had two boys, an eight year old and a five year old. Marcus and Elliot. Aria and Spencer had both been disappointed when Esme and Elliot weren't soulmates right out of the womb. But best friends were important, too, and Esme and Elliot definitely were.

Hanna's clock had finally ticked out when she met a shaggy haired guy playing music on the street. Hanna was intrigued and immediately drawn to the bad boy. Caleb, she decided, was definitely worth the wait. They were married now and had a two year old named Aurora Belle. Hanna loved Disney, what could she say?

Emily had never really clicked with someone until she met Samara on a trip for disaster relief. Unlike Emily, Samara had a soulmate but he had turned out to be more of a best guy friend. They were happy and traveled around the world while Emily strove to be the best aunt ever. She succeeded. Everyone loved aunt Emily to death, mostly because she always came bearing gifts.

"What if you don't like them?" Esme asked with her button nose scrunched up, she had been thinking up that question for a couple of minutes.

"You know, I wondered the same exact thing about daddy," Aria replied thoughtfully, tugging her daughter closer. They were cuddled in her twin size bed under a pile of fuzzy princess blankets.

Esme gasped and her sleepy eyes shot open, "You didn't think you'd like daddy?! How is that possible? He's the best daddy in the _whole_ world!"

Aria smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm and was about to respond when she noticed Ezra in the doorway.

"Did someone just say that I'm the best daddy in the whole world?" He asked with a smirk as he watched his two favorite girls. Seeing Aria go through pregnancy and the birth of Esme had made him fall in love with her all over again. It was hard to believe that had been over five years ago and that baby was a little girl.

"Duh. Everyone knows that," Esme exclaimed dramatically, wondering how her father could even ask such a ridiculous question.

Ezra's boyish grin came across his face. She was a little girl with attitude, just like her mother. He walked towards them and slowly snuggled his way into the small bed causing both girls to burst into giggles.

"You don't fit, daddy!" Esme squealed, nearly falling off the edge of the bed.

"Sure I do," Ezra argued, pulling Aria so that her back was flush against his chest as Esme rolled closer to the two.

"This watermelon isn't helping," Aria laughed, staring down at her bloated stomach. Ezra reached over and caressed her belly before laying his hand there.

"You're amazing," he whispered into her ear before placing a light kiss on her jaw.

"Hey! Mommy was telling me and Charlie a story!" Esme yelled, interrupting the small love fest between her parents. Charlie was her seven month old brother who was still hiding in her mommy's stomach, she didn't know why he wouldn't just come out already.

"Right," Aria nodded, her hand playing with Ezra's. "Where did we leave off?"

"That you didn't think that you would like daddy," Esme reminded, attentively waiting for her mom to continue.

"Hey!" Ezra cried out in mock hurt, nudging Aria with his shoulder. Aria immediately nudged him back.

"I was really nervous. But I got hurt and daddy was there for me before we even met. Then I wasn't nervous anymore, I was excited. I knew that I would love your daddy very, very much," Aria smiled, her eyes clouding with tears. Damn pregnancy hormones.

"You got hurt?" Esme asked with worry in her eyes.

"I did, but that was a really long time ago. I'm better now," Aria assured her and she could see that it put her daughter at ease, though she still looked concerned. No one hurt her mommy and got away with it.

"Were you nervous, daddy?"

"I was terrified. I wasn't worried about whether I would love your mother, I knew that I would. No doubt in my mind. I was scared that she wouldn't like me or I wouldn't be enough for her. Sometimes I still worry about that. But I have your mom and you–"

"And Charlie," Esme whispered and Ezra nodded.

"And Charlie to remind me exactly how lucky I am everyday," he smiled, kissing the back of Aria's head.

"It's a good thing that you still have a lot of days left to figure it all out," Aria said to their daughter, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Not nearly enough, in my opinion," Ezra said seriously.

Aria laughed and shook her head. Sensing that Esme was about to fall asleep she tucked the blankets around her and gave her a forehead kiss, "I think it's bedtime."

The small girl whined for a moment but it didn't last long because she could hardly even keep her eyes open. Ezra gave her a kiss goodnight and they worked at rolling Aria out of bed.

Once they were up and in the hallway Aria groaned, "Life is a miracle and pregnancy is beautiful, but I am definitely done with feeling like a hippo."

Ezra laughed, "Well, you are the sexiest hippo I've ever laid my eyes on."

"Really funny, bud," Aria grumbled before falling into her own bed. She smelled in the lavender scent of her pillows and sighed. Ezra stripped down to his boxers before climbing in next to her. They nestled in close to each other, enjoying a comfortable silence. Aria kept fidgeting and Ezra was just waiting for her to say whatever was on her mind.

"Ezra?" Aria whispered, breaking the quiet.

"Hmm?"

"Did you really meant that? Earlier, when you said that you worry about being enough, did you mean that?" She asked as she languidly traced shapes on Ezra's chest.

"Yeah, I did. Sometimes I just feel like you deserve so much more than me," he replied softly.

Aria shot back and stared at him in disbelief, "You are more than I could've ever imagined. You're the only reason that I'm alive and sane. After Noel and Radley," she said with a chill, "I didn't have any hope left, I had given up. You're the reason I'm here. If it wasn't for you... I don't know where I would be. I could still be cooped up in a mental hospital. You've given me so much. You gave me this beautiful family."

"Well, you made it easy by being very much worth fighting for, Aria Fitz."

"I love you," Aria whispered. You'd think that after all this time, after all these years, those three words wouldn't mean much. But every time they said how much they loved each other it felt like the first time. She felt like a nervous teenage girl again.

It's funny, thinking back on her young teenage years, before everything happened. She could so clearly remember wondering what her life would be like. Would she be happy? Would she have children? So many questions and scenarios ran through her mind and here she was. She was lying in bed with her soulmate and pregnant with their second child. It may have been a tough ride, but she got there.

"I love you, too," Ezra smiled, "Remember what I said about you being the sexiest hippo that I've ever seen?"

Aria squealed in delight as Ezra rolled her over, leaving love bites all over her neck. Yep, she was definitely in love him.

It was an amazing thing, how life worked. Just when she needed him, she got Ezra. And he got her. She knew that she had been a pain in the ass and it took her a long time to recover, but she did. That was the important part. She had recovered. Ezra was the light at the end of her hopelessly dark tunnel, lovingly guiding her to where she had always belonged: _Home._

* * *

**And there you have it. Thank you all again, SO MUCH. Eternally grateful. I can't believe I've gotten 200+ reviews. So please leave a review as a farewell to this story and I will PM every one of you!**

**Here is a special preview of my next story: **He didn't really know how it had happened, it had been a billion tiny things. Somehow, in his mind he had crossed the fine line between friendship and something more. But he was sure of one thing, he could never regret loving Aria Montgomery.

**Keep on the look out and I'll see you next time!**

**Love you oodles,**

**-RissyWrites**


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